


Resurrection

by MiraculousAlfa



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged up characters, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-21 09:12:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11940960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraculousAlfa/pseuds/MiraculousAlfa
Summary: The day that was to be full of firsts had started like any other for Marinette Dupain-Cheng...





	1. Revelations

**Author's Note:**

> Major Character Death is only temporary.  
> Violence isn't too graphic. Just playing it safe with the rating.

The day that was to be full of firsts had started like any other for Marinette Dupain-Cheng who, having just turned eighteen years of age and in her final year of lycée at Françoise Dupont, still struggled to get to her classes on time. As usual, she was taking too long to get out of bed, tapping the snooze function on her smart phone without even thinking about it every time the alarm went off, as she had yet another semi-waking dream of a possible future with one Adrien Agreste, her classmate and outrageously attractive blonde supermodel, who had been her crush since his first day at Collège Françoise Dupont, the day after she received her Miraculous almost three years earlier. He also happened to be the son of one of her fashion design idols, the world famous Gabriel Agreste. Her tardiness in the morning was understandable to some extent because she needed to be able to relax when not transformed into the superhero, Ladybug, with all the self-discipline and physical effort that her responsibilities required.

As Marinette lay on her back with her limbs splayed everywhere and her lustrous black hair spread like a fan across her pillow, her kwami looked upon her Miraculous holder with affection, knowing what that dumb grin on Marinette's face probably meant. Tikki reflected upon her chosen's development into a young adult who had an easy confidence and grace about her with everyone she met and everything she did, with the possible exception of Adrien. Her half Chinese, half French heritage had produced a rare combination of high cheekbones and large bluebell eyes framed by dark, preternaturally long lashes in a heart shaped face. Her hair was so fine and dark that it appeared to refract the light in predominantly blue highlights. She had allowed it to grow longer to give her more versatility, but she still preferred her characteristic pigtails most of the time. Quite simply, she was stunningly beautiful and, despite her self-confidence, stunningly unaware of that fact.

Looking at her, Tikki couldn't help feeling a little remorse for what she was about to do.

"Marinette, you're late, it's time to get up!"

"Oh Adri...wha, where? Oh no! Tikki, why didn't you wake me _earlier_? I'm going to be late!"

Tikki rolled her eyes as Marinette bounced off her loft bed and rushed to her bathroom to clean her teeth. Yet again, she thought that she would be eating on the run.

"Marinette, you looked so happy, I waited as long as I could. I _knew_ who you were dreaming about."

"Tikki!"

Tikki hadn't informed Marinette that she had reset her chosen's alarm to go off an hour earlier than she had expected, thus ensuring that she would be able to have breakfast and arrive at school in time to have a chance to socialise before the commencement of classes. It was tough on Marinette, but she would be grateful in the end, or so Tikki hoped.

Marinette had come to the slow realisation that she had to stop going to pieces around Adrien if she wanted him to be more than just a friend. She couldn't have a mature relationship if she kept behaving like a star struck fangirl. After almost three years it was time for her to move past her childish fantasies and act like an equal in an adult relationship. Her bespectacled, titian haired best friend, Alya, had tried to help by advising her that her behaviour gave her crush the impression that she didn't like him. It helped that Alya's boyfriend, Nino, was also Adrien's best friend. He had assured Adrien that Marinette didn't dislike him, but was just a little shy around him. He had followed the class code and made no mention to Adrien of her crush on him.

Despite the occasional lapse into her old behaviour, Marinette had done her best to suppress her nerves over the last few months and it seemed to be paying dividends. She had been channeling her inner Ladybug, and found that it sometimes helped if she pretended that Adrien was her flamboyant super heroic partner, Cat Noir, whose flirting she had resisted for years. Her new found assertiveness gained her the occasional odd look from Adrien, as if she reminded him of someone. Of course, he could still distract her sufficiently to cause her to occasionally trip over thin air at the sight of him, but she was talking to him enough to see him as a real person, with all his strengths and foibles, which made her love him even more. Yes, she was definitely getting closer to him. Marinette had also decided that she couldn't wait any longer for Adrien to get over his infatuation with Ladybug, another thing he had in common with Cat Noir. If he wouldn't ask her, she would ask _him_ for a date.

Lately, however, Cat Noir had managed to burrow through her defences to the extent that, as Ladybug, she was starting to think of him as more than just her other best friend, which was playing havoc with her emotions. As he had matured, Cat Noir had started to remind Marinette more and more of Adrien, which only served to exacerbate her confusion. They appeared to be the same height and build, with the same wild blonde hair, piercing green eyes and generosity of spirit. Despite his flirting and incessant puns, Cat was unfailingly polite and never crossed any boundaries without permission. Yes, she was definitely thinking more frequently about who might be behind her kitty's mask.

Wanting to be a little different, Marinette wore dark blue skinny jeans extending to her mid calf instead of her signature pink, nicely setting off her toned legs, combined with a pink floral t-shirt and her black three quarter sleeve jacket. For comfort, she had her usual pink flats on her feet. It was the perfect summer outfit. As usual, she failed to notice the admiring looks from various male students as she approached the long flight of steps leading up to the school entrance.

Seeing Alya and Nino waiting for her at the entrance brought a smile to Marinette's face as she waved before sprinting up the steps to meet them. Her clumsiness on the move was legendary among her classmates but, truth be told, it was now largely undeserved, unless she happened to catch sight of her crush, who would always be a distraction. Just because she had more control of herself didn't mean that she could ignore him completely.

"Alya, has Adrien arrived yet?"

"Girl, not only has he arrived, but he told Nino last night that he's moving on from his Ladybug fixation and wants to date someone else."

Marinette felt like she was sinking as an almost painful tension rose in her chest making it hard for her to breathe. Knowing her luck, Adrien had probably fallen for another model. What did she expect? It had been almost three years and she _still_ hadn't moved beyond her fantasies, despite getting closer to him. She knew that he had loved Ladybug, so why hadn't that given her some confidence? If he loved Ladybug, he loved her, right? Her timing, she thought, was terrible; she had lost her chance with _Adrien_ , an eventuality for which, she belatedly realised, she was quite unprepared. She cursed the tears that came unbidden, welling up in her eyes despite her increased maturity and sophistication. She felt as if she was starting to hyperventilate.

After her initial amusement, Alya’s eyes widened with alarm as she realised the intensity of her best friend's reaction to her little joke. As a familiar limo pulled up in front of the school, she put her hands on each side of Marinette's face and looked into her eyes.

"Just kidding girl! He hasn't arrived yet, but seriously Marinette, if a little joke can upset you so much, you need to stop waiting around before something like that happens for real. Just between you and me, I think he was talking to Nino about _you_. Stop overthinking everything for a change and just _go_ for it."

Still holding Marinette's head in her hands, Alya slowly turned her to face the street to see the love of her life walking towards them, smiling as his limo departed.

Doing her best not to melt, Marinette took a calming breath as Adrien approached and waived.

"Hey."

"Hi Adrien." They chorused.

Marinette felt as if her face would break if her smile got any wider.

"Adrie..."

"Marinette, I was _hoping_ to catch you before school. Can I talk to you, alone?"

"Of course, is everything alright? Of course it's alright, you're _always_ alright, right?"

What was the _matter_ with her? Where had that young sophisticate gone? Where was Ladybug?

Adrien smiled bemusedly before shaking his head and collecting himself. He suddenly looked uncertain, and put his left hand on the back of his head in that characteristic mannerism that he so often affected when nervous or unsure of himself. Who did that remind her of? He took her aside as Alya and Nino walked off through the school entrance.

"Marinette, we've known each other a long time..."

"Uh huh."

"... and you were my very first friend at school after Nino..."

"Uh huh." She squeaked.

Marinette's eyes widened as she felt her heart rate accelerate beyond akuma attack levels. A flush began to spread up from her neck all the way to her ears. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. Curses!

"...and I was wondering if you might, you know, maybe like to have lunch with me....alone. Without Nino and Alya...kind of like, well, you know...a _date_...if you'd like?"

Marinette had never seen Adrien acting so insecure, and it was because of _her_! She had never thought it possible for her to have such an effect on him. She also hadn't realised that her eyes had glazed over until a shadow passed across her eyes. Startled, she came to and realised that Adrien was waiving his hand in front of her face.

"Marinette? Sorry, I shouldn't have asked, I didn't mean to upset you. You probably like somebody else. I'll leave you alone."

" _No_! I mean yes! I'd love to eat you, I mean have you for lunch. Aargh! I mean have lunch with you!...Would...would you like to go to the park? It's such a beautiful day, we could get something from my parents' bakery."

Adrien smiled, "That sounds purrrfect."

Marinette's eyes widened again. Was that a _pun_? For a brief moment, she saw a black mask on Adrien's face,...and cat ears. Any more thoughts about that were scattered by the sudden shock of a certain young man's fingers entwining themselves with her own as Adrien tentatively took her hand. She jerked her hand back as if stung before realising the implication of what she had just done and grabbed his hand back.

Adrien smiled, "We better get to class."

My, how the time had flown. Marinette resolved to get to school early more often. Could this day _get_ any better?

Adrien was on cloud nine. From his point of view, Marinette had always been unattainable, like Ladybug really, with long, dark lashes framing her ethereally beautiful, impossibly large bluebell eyes in whose depths he could, and did, lose himself, not that he thought she noticed. She had a kind of elfin beauty with her dark hair framing a heart shaped face, with just a few feint freckles on her cheeks beside her perfect little nose, and lips that he couldn't stop dreaming about. Despite the number of fangirls that his popularity as a model generated, he had never been interested in anyone but Ladybug until he had heard the music that was Marinette's laughter one too many times.

He had started to pay more attention to her over the preceding twelve months, and not in a platonic way. His dreams were full of her. Except for the super powers, she had everything that attracted him to Ladybug. She was kind, confident, a natural leader, and had that same stubbornness that he found so irresistible in Ladybug. With her long, perfectly proportioned legs and figure, she would put any of the models he knew to shame despite her lack of height, and she was a fantastically talented fashion designer. He daydreamed about her designing clothes just for him that he could model under her brand. Come to think of it, he wouldn't mind at all if she branded _him_. Adrien thought of himself as just another in the long line of boys at the school who lusted after Marinette, and she seemed to be totally unaware of them. He squelched that thought, after all, he didn't lust after her, he _loved_ her, and that made all the difference. 'Ah, _Marinette_ ', he sighed to himself. Even her name sounded musical to him, repeating it over and over in his head. He cursed himself for being so slow to ask her out, but excused himself on the grounds that he had always felt as if Marinette was uncomfortable around him because she didn't really like him. When push came to shove, Nino's constant assurances that he was mistaken hadn't really helped. It had taken him months to get up the courage to ask her out while appearing outwardly calm, at least he thought he looked calm, and she had said _yes_! Could this day _get_ any better?

Marinette almost let go of Adrien's hand as they entered the classroom, but his grip had tightened, and she had taken the hint, after all, who was she to fight it when she had been wanting this for so long? Adrien was the only person in the class who had been unaware of Marinette crushing on him over the last few years, and even their teachers suspected that they only took simultaneous bathroom breaks during akuma attacks to get some alone time during the disruption that was created. If anything, their fellow classmates were relieved and happy for Marinette. Even Chloé, the mayor's blonde, blue eyed socialite daughter, and Marinette's former nemesis, had matured to the point that she accepted the class code to never mention Marinette's feelings to her crush. Alya was such a loyal friend that she was ecstatic that her machinations that morning had finally given her Adrienette ship a chance to sail. ' _Timing_ ', she thought to herself, ' _is_ _everything_!'

Marinette let go of Adrien's hand as he took his usual seat on the left side of the room in the front row on Nino's right, and took her seat directly behind him to the right of her best friend. Alya gave her a wink and whispered, "Girl, I can't wait for lunch. I couldn't believe my eyes. I guess I really put a scare into you, huh? You're going to tell me everything, right?" Marinette broke out of her reverie and smiled at Alya.

"I'd love to Alya, but I'm having lunch with _Adrien_." She almost sang his name. She giggled. Just saying it aloud made her squeal a little inside.

Adrien couldn't resist turning at the sound and smiling at her. Marinette suddenly found the texture of her desk extraordinarily interesting.

After a seeming eternity, the lunch period finally arrived, and Alya couldn't resist having a little fun. Knowing Marinette, she had a fairly good idea of her lunch destination.

"So, where are you two lovebirds heading for lunch? Nino and I were thinking of getting something from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery."

She nudged Nino. "What do you reckon honey, should we keep these two company?"

Nino opened and closed his mouth like a fish as he pretended to adjust his glasses. Sometimes his girlfriend was just plain frightening.

"Uh, Uh..."

Marinette glared at her friend and almost growled.

" _Alyaaa_!"

Most people would have had the sense to be scared, but the intrepid journalism student thought it was just too cute. She laughed.

"Come on Nino, let's head for that new café near the park. You never know, it might have some nice pastries!"

Adrien leaned into Marinette.

"Remind me to never get on Alya's bad side."

Lunch was naturally the busiest time at her parents' bakery so, upon their arrival, Marinette pulled Adrien to the back of the counter where her mother was serving customers.

"Mom, you remember Adrien? We're having lunch in the park, can we have some salmon and spinach pies and choc chip cookies?"

Sabine looked at Marinette with a knowing smile.

"Of course dear. Hello Adrien, it's lovely to see you again...TOM!" She looked over her shoulder where her husband could be seen pulling fresh loaves of bread out of the oven. "Marinette is taking Adrien to lunch!"

The man-mountain finished with the bread and came out to put his arm around Adrien who, despite having sprouted to over six feet, was still dwarfed by the sheer bulk of Marinette's father.

"So, you've finally noticed my daughter's finer attributes."

Adrien didn't know how to react.

"Uh, well..."

Sabine smiled wickedly as she handed the tasty treats to her daughter.

"Tom, stop teasing the boy. You know Adrien, Marinette talks about you all the time. We feel as if we know you already!"

"Pa _pa_ , _Mom_! What are you _doing_? Come on Adrien, we have to get out of here before I _die_."

With that characteristic Ladybug glare she stalked out of the bakery towing Adrien behind her. The last thing she heard was her mother calling after her.

"Honey, are you sure you wouldn't like some macaroons? I have some fresh love hearts."

Parents could be _so_ embarrassing!

Back in the bakery, Sabine pulled her husband aside and whispered into his ear.

"It looks like our Ladybug has finally found her kitty."

Tom looked down at his diminutive wife.

"You know, I think we're going to have to let her know that she isn't fooling us anymore, at least then she won't have to sneak out all the time. There may be some kind of magic hiding their identities from the rest of the population, but it's so obvious to me that Adrien is Cat Noir that I can't help feeling that Marinette just doesn't want to know."

The new couple chose a park bench as far away from other people as they could, with Marinette sitting on Adrien's left where, somehow, she felt more comfortable. She was struck by a feeling of déjà vu as she recalled her first such outing with Adrien. Everything had been going fine until they were interrupted by the Gamer. Marinette realised with a start that they were sitting on the same park bench. She hoped that she would have better luck this time. With his first mouthful of pie, Adrien let out a small moan. Marinette thought to herself that _she_  would like to be able to make him moan like that. _Bad_ Marinette!

"My parents can be so annoying!"

"Marinette, do you know how lucky you are to have parents like that? I'd kill for that kind of attention. It's so obvious that they love you. My father treats me more like an employee than a _son_."

Marinette's anger melted at the sudden look of desolation on her new boyfriend's face. She put a hand on his arm and squeezed.

"I'm so sorry Adrien, I must seem like an ungrateful brat with all that you have to put up with. You know, you can always talk to me, anytime, night or day I don't care, just call me! I can't bare the thought of you feeling miserable."

Adrien felt a change in the atmosphere. He was being drawn into the impossible depths of those blue, blue eyes. He was sure that sociologists would have to create a new term for falling in love called ' _The Marinette Effect_ '. He suddenly realised that their faces were almost touching without even having been aware that they had been mutually leaning into each other. Adrien hoped that he was reading her right as he tentatively brushed Marinette's lips with his own and, cupping her jaw in his hand, made proper contact as he closed his eyes. His hands moved to her back as she reciprocated, holding her tight as he moved them in circular motions before settling at her waist. He wanted to be so close to her and, with that thought, picked her up onto his lap. Marinette had both her arms around his neck as she began to move her fingers through his hair, prompting Adrien to let out a soft moan at her touch, exciting her even more. She couldn't believe it was so _soft_! Almost three years of pent up frustration and yearning was being released in a rush as their kiss became altogether more intense, almost violent as Marinette opened her mouth to him and felt his tongue, raising her desire to a new level. Her whole body seemed to be on fire as she felt him exploring the inside of her mouth before pulling back, nibbling and pulling on her lower lip before reluctantly parting.

It all felt so primal as they pulled back to breathe, both their chests heaving as they rested their foreheads against each other and quietly gazed into each other's eyes. Marinette's perception was filled with a sea of green. She didn't think that it was possible for her to properly express the way she felt for this boy in that moment. God, she loved him! Love...the word seemed so inadequate! So cliché, yet what else could describe her feelings? 

It meant feeling butterflies in her stomach at the sight of him. It meant that she couldn't go a minute without thinking about him; that he was always there in the back of her mind; that she wanted to share his highs and help him through his lows and would drop everything to do so; that she wondered what he was doing whenever he was out of her sight and couldn't wait to see him again. It meant feeling a rush when she made him smile, and going out of her way to make him do it again; that she trusted him in every possible way. It meant acceptance and letting go; that being together made both of them better versions of themselves; that she would never give up on him. It meant being able to feel annoyed with each other without ever thinking of leaving; that she wanted to share his future and, one day, create a family together. It meant...commitment. Marinette was having an epiphany; she realised that she loved Adrien unconditionally. A breath quietly escaped her lungs.

'Oh!'

Alya was right, ' _Just go with it_!'

For his part, Adrien wasn't surprised that he was losing himself in the almost hypnotic play of light upon those enormous bluebell eyes. He wanted to let Marinette know how he felt, but was afraid to spoil the moment with words. Always being around attractive women came with his job, and he had never experienced any discomfit, even on those occasions when his father had arranged for him to take one of his models out for publicity purposes. He hadn't thought of them as dates because there had been no emotional attachment, although the gossip media had created an undeserved reputation for him, and even _that_ was still just part of his job. In spite of it all, he had never had a real girlfriend because he had only ever been interested in two women. One wore a red suit, and the other was resting her forehead against his...staring into his eyes...right now.

Adrien stiffened as it occurred to him that Marinette might think that she was just another addition to the long line of girlfriends made up by the press. What if she thought he was just charming her, that he was just another player! After three years of her company, he knew deep down that Marinette wasn't that type of person, otherwise she wouldn't have agreed to go on a date with him. He was arguing himself into a ridiculous corner. In a way, he was cheapening her, by implying to himself that she was only interested in his looks. He had to stop overthinking things or he would ruin everything. He had to say something!

Marinette was content to stay in the moment and continue to lose herself in those gorgeously bright green eyes, willing Adrien to see her thoughts without words, until she noticed a change overtake him, as if his body was mirroring an unpleasant thought. His shoulders tensed, and his hands began to shake. His whole body language had changed, as if he seemed to be gathering himself for something. In her typical fashion where he was concerned, Marinette began to wonder if she had done something wrong. Seconds earlier he had been completely in tune with her. She wished he would say something, anything! Maybe _she_ should say something. She caught the not so subtle cues as his body language changed again, almost as though a switch had been thrown, and she realised that Adrien had made a decision. She held her breath.

"Marinette, I hope that you don't think that I'm being too forward but,..." He lowered his voice, "I-I...think...that...I love you. I really do. I've loved you from afar for some time now and I...I just had to tell you. I hope I haven't spoiled things."

Marinette gasped. This was all going so fast. But then, she reflected, it had been building for close to three years. She decided to be honest herself, after all, she hated liars.

"Adrien, I don't want to scare you, but I've been in love with you for over two and a half  _years_! Since you gave me your umbrella in the rain on your first day at school, when you opened up to me about your feelings. You looked so vulnerable, and then when you laughed after the umbrella closed on my head, I was smitten. I've felt that way ever since. I'm glad we waited, I was way too young."

Adrien's expression lifted, gaining in confidence as he digested Marinette's revelation.

" _Really_? I sometimes thought that you didn't _like_ me."

He hadn't thought that Marinette's expression could soften any further, but he was wrong as she looked into his eyes and kissed him again. She couldn't believe what she was doing!

"Adrien, what could possibly have given you that idea?"

"Well, you just always seemed to be uncomfortable around me."

"That was just my immature way of coping with my feelings for you. I was my own worst enemy. Besides, you seemed to have a whole other life outside school, going out with all those beautiful models."

"Marinette, that was just work, despite the spin my father put on it. They weren't _dates_. I've only ever been interested in two women, Ladybug..." His expression changed from earnest sincerity to, what? Questioning? Knowing?..."and _you_ ,..." He lowered his voice, "...and the first woman was just a fantasy."

"Adrien, I..."

He interrupted her with a kiss.

"I mean it Marinette, you aren't just a casual fling for me. Do you have any idea how special you are?"

The mood took a sudden dive with the sound of a phone camera clicking away in front of them. The culprit started cackling when the two lovebirds finally noticed her. Marinette gave her the death stare.

"Alya! Way to kill the mood!"

"I'm not sorry! I intend to play my video at your wedding!"

"Alya, for the love of _God_!"

Adrien laughed.

"I kinda like the sound of that."

It was Adrien's turn to experience the Marinette glare. He suddenly felt shivers down his spine. It looked so _familiar_. His hand went to the back of his head again. He figured attack was the best defence.

"Marinette, does the idea of marrying me horrify you so much? That really hurts."

No one ever said Alya was slow, as an evil gleam appeared in her eyes.

"Are you kidding Adrien? It's all she's talked about for as long as I’ve known her. She even picked out names for your _kids_!"

"What? Wait, _Alya_!"

Marinette's face had gone the colour of Ladybug's suit as she turned away, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. ' _Someone kill me now_!' Where was an akuma when she wanted one. It couldn't _possibly_ make her feel any worse. She chanced a look at Adrien out of the corner of her eye, and he was still staring, wide eyed and mouth open as if in shock. Her date had suddenly turned awful as she felt her eyes watering.

Alya realised that she might have gone a bit too far, receiving confirmation when she turned to see the critical look that Nino was giving her, having just arrived with a couple of ice-creams in time to hear her last comment.

"Babe, that was seriously uncool. Even _my_ lips aren't that loose!"

Belatedly, Alya understood what she had done. She was ruining what should have been a special occasion for her best friend. She didn't think that Chloé in her nastiest phase could have done any worse.

"Marinette, I'm really sorry. I think that I should leave you two alone. I hope you can forgive me. I didn't have any right to spoil your date. I just got a bit overexcited."

As her friends walked away, Marinette felt a tentative hand on her shoulder, followed by a gentle squeeze. It was Adrien, and he wasn't angry, his eyes were full of concern, almost sorrow as he pulled her into a hug.

"Marinette, you don't have anything to be ashamed of. I'm so sorry for spoiling things. You're the most amazing person I've ever met. You know, there's only one other woman I can think of who reminds me of you, and she wears a red suit with black spots. I love you Marinette, _really_ , and I feel humbled and honoured that you'd even consider the idea of a family that includes me. I'd love to know what that feels like. Trust me,..." He smiled, "I've had my fair share of fantasies about you."

Marinette hugged him even tighter, forcing a grunt from him as the wind was squeezed out of his lungs. By golly, this girl was strong!

"It's not your fault Adrien. What did you do but say you liked the idea of a life with me? How could that be so wrong?"

She lowered her head, unconsciously playing with the strap of her purse and squeezing it enough to make things a little uncomfortable for Tikki inside. Adrien watched in fascination as his girlfriend's long, slender fingers fidgeted with the strap. Everything Marinette did was graceful to his eyes.

"I just felt so betrayed and embarrassed by Alya. Those things were _private_ , and I thought she was going to drive you away from me! I mean, this is only our first date. Maybe it would have been funny at our wedding, if there ever _is_ a wedding, but not on our first _date_!...Did...did you really mean it when you said you've dreamed about me?"

"Marinette, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. I know how much you hate liars, and I'll never do that to you. If you can't trust me, what chance do we have? I haven't said anything today that I didn't mean. It may have been a joke, but it really would hurt if the mere thought of marrying me was upsetting for you. Despite my fear that you didn't like me, we've been friends for a long time, and I'm _glad_ that we didn't get together too early. I think I know you pretty well in light of what I've learned today, enough to realise that I don't want to be apart from you. I feel like I know you so well that this doesn't even _feel_ like a first date. I love everything about you. Just the sound of your name is like music to me, Marinette. I just love saying it, Marinette. See? Marinette! I could marry Mari! A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but it could never be as beautiful and sweet as my Marinette."

Marinette's voice became even smaller.

"I'm not upset at the thought of marrying you." She glanced up at him with the beginnings of a smile.

"I quite like the idea actually."

With that there was no longer any need for words as he leaned down and slowly, tenderly kissed her. They felt so comfortable together that there was no need for the comparatively violent passion of their first kiss. Marinette gasped as they parted. She looked almost nervous as she coyly looked up at him through her long lashes.

"You know, we could go into business together and, if you like, you could model Dupain-Cheng originals."

He looked at her quietly and paused, before murmuring,

"I'd love that Marinette."

He shook himself.

"Dang, look at the time!...I hate to say it, but I think our lunch period is about over. I'd like enough time to enjoy our walk back to class, if that's alright with you."

She took his hand in hers and sighed.

"Oh yes, it's fine by me...I don't know how I'm going to concentrate this afternoon with you sitting in front of me."

"Ah, about that. Would you like to swap places with Nino? I'm pretty sure that he won't mind sitting next to Alya."

Marinette smiled.

"That would be even more fine."

As they stood, Adrien effortlessly lifted his new girlfriend off the ground and held her above him, just so he could look at her. She giggled as he lowered her enough to kiss her again. He would never get tired of that. So much had happened in just half a day.

As they meandered back to school, they both found themselves thinking that the day couldn't get any better when fate, or more accurately, Hawk Moth intervened to prove them right by sending another evil akuma to infect a disenchanted soul.

They were alerted by the now familiar city wide alarm system that had been installed two years earlier, when it became apparent to the authorities that something more effective was required. Adrien activated his phone and selected the icon for Alya's Ladyblog. Sure enough, it had already been updated. It had been set up to take notifications from the police and members of the public without the need for any authorisation from Alya.

It seemed that an employee of the Paris Zoo, who was an amateur entomologist with a love of wasps, had been sufficiently distressed to allow him to be akumatised after discovering that part of the insect display had been vandalised. He had one of the zoo's anaesthetic dart guns, only it was now firing projectiles made deadly by a concentrated drug that caused paralysis and death thanks to the akuma that had entered it. He was clothed in a stylised suit with orange and black stripes resembling a human wasp. His eyes were black. To make things more interesting, he had wings that were somehow able to provide lift, although he wasn't very manoeuvrable. Marinette hated flying akumas. He called himself the Hornet and he was out for revenge, on everybody. According to reports, people were dying within a minute of being struck by one of the darts, of which Hornet seemed to have an endless supply.

At the sound of the alarm, most of the students at their school had been told to remain in their classrooms, or allowed to go home if they lived close by. Alya and Nino had headed straight for the Dupain-Cheng bakery, where they hoped to find Marinette and Adrien. The rest of their class and their teacher at the time, Câline Bustier, decided to watch events unfold on the big flat screen in the school library.

Marinette and Adrien were both thinking the same thing. How were they going to transform? Marinette was the first to speak.

"Um, Adrien, um,...I think I should go home."

Adrien forgot all about _his_ need to transform.

"I'm coming with you. I'm not going to let you out of my sight!"

"No, really Adrien, I'll be alright, I can take care of myself."

"I'm still coming with you!"

"But Adrien..."

She was learning very quickly that her boyfriend had a stubborn streak when he thought that something was important enough. They really were made for each other.

"Marinette, if we're going to be a successful couple, we have to stick together. We need to be able to trust each other. _I will not leave you_!"

Marinette looked at Adrien as if she was measuring him. He had only ever seen that expression on one other woman. She sighed.

"Come with me!"

Still holding his hand, she pulled Adrien behind some bushes, satisfying herself that they weren't visible to any civilians. The park was deserted anyway thanks to the alarm. She pulled Adrien to her and, standing on her toes, looked into his eyes and kissed him. Adrien was starting to have suspicions of his own as Marinette stood back and took a deep breath without taking her eyes off him.

"Please don't be angry. Remember that I love you Adrien... _Tikki, spots on_!"


	2. Resurrection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette couldn't help feeling a little deflated by her boyfriend's reaction.

Though he was half expecting it, Adrien was still almost caught by surprise as something red streaked from Marinette's purse to her left earring with such speed that, to his eyes, it was almost an afterimage. ' _All this time_ ' he marvelled, ' _Ladybug's kwami has been as close as Marinette's purse._ ' He took an involuntary step backward as his beautiful girlfriend was enveloped in the rosy glow of her transformation sequence. It resembled an extreme limbering up exercise, that to Adrien was a thing of beauty.  
  
In Marinette's place stood Ladybug in all her glory, yet the reaction from her boyfriend was, to say the least, unexpected.

"Yesss!" He pumped his fist. "I _knew_ it!"

"Adrien, what? You _knew_?"

"I had my suspicions, and I really wanted it to be you. It would be _so_ convenient."

Marinette couldn't help feeling a little deflated by her boyfriend's reaction. Was _that_ why his interest in her had increased so dramatically? Of _course_! He hadn't really moved on from Ladybug at _all_. It didn't affect her love for him, after all, she had intended to ask him for a date when she still thought that he was fixated on Ladybug, but she wanted him to see _Marinette_...' _What did he mean by convenient?_ '

Belatedly, Adrien saw the disappointment building on His Lady's face.

"Oh no! _Marinette_..."

He stood before her and rested his hands on both her shoulders, giving her his soft, vulnerable smile as he looked into her eyes.

"...trust me on this when I say that I didn't fall in love with you because I thought you were Ladybug. I fell for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I only saw the similarities after I started looking at you as more than a friend, after paying more attention to _you_...I had already moved on from my Ladybug fantasy." He whispered, "Please believe me."

He kissed her softly. "Do you find it so hard to believe that I could love you for being _you_ and not Ladybug? You being Ladybug is just a bonus; just another facet of a beautiful jewel. You know I'd never lie to you Marinette. Please?"

Marinette looked at him, seeing the truth in his eyes. He really _was_ perceptive, seemingly able to read her mind. She really _should_ stop overthinking things. Why did she keep upsetting herself? She couldn't help feeling exasperated with her reaction. ' _Am I that insecure_?'

She thought back over the last few hours. Things really had moved so very fast, but had they _really_? They may have had only one date, but it wasn't as if they had just met. She had felt this way for three years, as long as she had known Adrian. They could surely take things at a more relaxed pace now that the emotional dam had burst.

Marinette had occasionally questioned her crush on Adrien, wondering if it was merely a part of growing up; something that, while fun to fantasize about, would eventually pass like all adolescent phases. But it _hadn't._  If anything, it had gotten stronger. The more she discovered about Adrien, the more she loved him. Why should she feel guilty about that? Why lose time with him by going through a string of broken relationships just to confirm that he had always been the right one for her, and possibly lose him forever? Was it a modern day rite of passage that was required of her generation, or were most people just unlucky; never meeting that special person and settling for close enough, or no one at all? She knew that many people were happy to be single but, since meeting Adrien, she was no longer one of them.

Why _couldn't_ her first love be her one and only? Had a culture developed over the years that made it taboo? She didn't _want_ to sample the field. It would feel like she was shopping for a husband, as if she was unsure about Adrien. It wasn't as if she hadn't met other boys. She had let slip the 'L' word to Adrien; well actually she had bludgeoned him with it, and she would never take it back. She knew that her father was her mother's first love, and they had been happily married for twenty three years. How many couples with more experience had subsequently had stable, happy marriages that survived that long? The statistics were not good. Marinette reflected upon her parents, who were still deliriously happy with each other. The only rival for that bond had been their unconditional love for their daughter, and that came from a separate bank.

Speaking of separate banks, there was her heroic partner, Cat Noir. Adrien had set such phenomenally high standards in her eyes that it was impossible for any other man to quite measure up; but if ever there could be a rival for her feelings, Cat was the one. She loved him as a friend with whom she would always have a unique connection that, by its very nature, she could have with no one else, not even Adrien. She knew that he had loved her, but over the preceding twelve months he had seemed to withdraw from her, as if he had given up on her or found someone else. She wondered what might have happened if Adrien had never existed, a horrible thought in itself. What if Cat Noir had been her one and only? Could she have fought the battles of the last three years without developing some kind of stress disorder after witnessing him sacrifice himself on her behalf one too many times? Thankfully, she would never know. Her introspection came to an abrupt end. Someone was calling her!

"Marinette, Ladybug! Are you alright? Do you need to rest? Please tell me you're alright?"

As if she was coming out of a trance, Marinette's awareness returned with a start as she realised that Adrien was still holding her; distress clearly evident on his face.

"I'm sorry, of _course_ I believe you Adrien."

"Are you sure you're OK? Are you going to be able to fight the Hornet? Maybe you should leave this one to Cat Noir. Just wait until you're needed to cleanse the akuma."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that Adrien. Hawk Moth has to always know that Cat and I are a team. If he takes Cat Noir on, he takes me on too. I'll be fine. I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything."

"Are you having second thoughts...about _me_?"

"No... _NO_! Please don't think that! I _love_ you! I'm so happy that you feel the same for me Adrien."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I just don't want you to be hurt Marinette. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. Everything is so perfect with us. _You're_ perfect!"

Marinette felt some of the tension draining out of her, ' _He thinks I'm perfect_!' She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I feel the same way about you Adrien; it's just been the most _wonderful_  day. Don't worry, I've had almost three years' practice and Ladybug always wins in the end."

Knowing Marinette's secret, Adrien was never going to let her remain ignorant of his own. He could probably persuade her to leave or let her lead him to safety before transforming, but he loved and respected her so much that he wanted her to finally be able to take on an akuma knowing who was really by her side.

"You know Marinette, I meant it when I said that you being Ladybug is a bonus. I'd love to be able to give _you_  something like that. How would it make you feel if I could?"

Marinette didn't like the look of the grin spreading across his face. It was almost predatory. She shook her head as if to clear it, suddenly slipping into her decisive Ladybug persona.  _Cat Noir needed her_! ' _Come to think of it_...', she thought, '... _Where is that kitty? He should have called me on his baton by now._ ' She tried to contact him with her yo-yo communicator and received a ' _no_ _connection_ ' signal.

"Adrien, I have to get you to safety before I meet up with Cat Noir! We have a city to save and I can't fight the Hornet if I'm worried about you,..." She would never be able to maintain the stern facade with him for long. Kissing him, she added "...and I _will_ worry. You understand...don't you?"

Adrien gave her his best Cheshire Cat grin.

"Really My Lady, I think that I can take care of myself! _Plagg, claws out_!"

As the characteristic green glow of Cat Noir's transformation sequence took him, Ladybug froze. He was reminded of the expression she wore when he had lowered the window of his limousine after she had stopped it to warn its occupants about the Mime, and there had been a timeless moment as they looked into each other's eyes. That pause had almost gotten her hit by one of the Mime's invisible arrows. She really _had_ loved him for a long time.

Her mind was stuck in a feedback loop of ' _Adrien/Cat Noir, Adrien/Cat Noir...Oh my God, Adrien is CAT NOIR_!!!'

No _wonder_ she had been developing feelings for him! Adrien was her kind, caring, pun loving, wonderfully over-the-top partner. All this time she had been fighting alongside him and had ignored the clues. How many had she ignored today alone? It was as if she had been afraid to know, because then she would have to acknowledge that it was _Adrien_ who so often wilfully endangered himself to protect her. Intellectually she knew that it had to be that way, but how would she react the next time? She hoped that she wouldn't have to find out too soon. There were also positives to their revelations. They would be able to cover for each other whenever they needed to transform, and they could stay in contact in their civilian lives. Marinette shivered at the thought of all that contact.

She was snapped out of her reverie by the sudden realisation that her kitty was kissing her. OK, so there was definitely an upside.

"Well My Lady, do you think we should do something about that murderous wasp...Buginette?"

Cat Noir could see that Ladybug was still having difficulty coming to terms with his revelation, but they had to get moving. With every passing moment, another Parisian was dying. He knew just what to do. Looking into her eyes, he took Ladybug's right hand in his own. She held her breath as he leaned in, lifted her hand and lightly brushed her knuckles with his lips.

"Come on Bugaboo, you can't stay catatonic for ever. I have a feline that defeating this akuma is going to be a pretty high meowntain to climb."

Ladybug rolled her eyes and smiled as she pulled herself together. She was impatient to take the Hornet on. The sooner they defeated the akuma, the sooner she could spend time showing Adrien just how much she loved him. She knew that, thanks to the trauma created by the super-villain, classes would be cancelled for the rest of the day. Yes, she would definitely end things quickly. This was going to be fun!

"What are you waiting for Kitty? Let's go!"

It wasn't long before they found the Hornet, having tapped directly into the police network with their communicators. Police in riot gear had cleared the streets, and he was taking the reduction in the number of targets out on them. Their weaponry had proven ineffective, and they had suffered significant losses as they had bravely distracted the crazed entomologist from his targets. The heroic pair noted grimly that the streets may have been cleared of living people, but they were by no means empty. Bodies were scattered everywhere as an eerie silence fell over the city. They had come across awful scenes. A mother slumped over a pram containing her dead child, a look of horror frozen on her face. Groups of children in a school playground who had been caught by surprise before the warning had sounded, with that subtle look that made it apparent that they weren't sleeping.

Ladybug didn't need any more evidence that this akuma was particularly nasty. It was somehow worse than Timebreaker, whose touch had made people fade from existence, or the Gamer, who had gone around the city zapping people into oblivion for game points, or even the Collector, who had only been interested in public figures and landmark structures. At least they hadn't left any bodies, and the Hornet was remorseless. He had none of the speed or agility of an akuma like Dark Cupid, but his superior weapon more than made up for that. The heroes noted that the Hornet's weapon was no longer an ordinary dart gun. The akuma had converted it into a heavyweight multi-barrel affair that would spin up and, within a couple of seconds, spew out a cloud of deadly barbs resembling oversized foot long wasp stingers.

Despite the horror, Ladybug was looking forward to confronting an akuma for the first time with her newfound awareness of the true nature of her heroic partner. They were more than a team, more than friends, and from the look she received from Cat Noir, she knew that he was feeling the same.

A news helicopter hovering off to the side had recorded the arrival of the two heroes. Back in the studio where she was now a permanent anchor who rarely went into the field, Nadja Chamack was reporting on what she thought would be the inevitable defeat of yet another akuma, having opened with her signature,

"This is Nadja Chamack. Don't be bemused, it's just the news."

For Nadja, such broadcasts had become almost routine, although she never ceased to be amazed at the variety that Hawk Moth sent the heroes' way. Her professional detachment could be interpreted as callousness by some, but she was a fundamentally good person. It was just that, after almost three years of watching them triumph, she had complete faith in the heroes' ability to reverse any situation. It didn't hurt that they were good for the ratings.

"Once again, Ladybug and Cat Noir are on the scene to save Paris from the clutches of another super-villain. We are about to witness yet another display of almost choreographed teamwork by the two heroes that usually resembles a combination of super gymnastics and martial arts."

Ladybug glanced at her partner.

"Cat, I'm pretty sure the akuma is in the dart gun. I can't see anywhere else that it could be. We need to get the Hornet to follow us."

"No problem My Lady"

Cat extended his baton and leapt onto the roof of a nearby building, followed by Ladybug. As usual, he taunted the akuma. An enraged Hornet would be a distracted Hornet.

"Hey Hornet, that's one ugly outfit. Did you get stung by a charity shop or did you lose a bet?"

The villain snarled and followed the heroes to the roof.

"I am the Hornet and I will have your Miraculous' from you, dead or alive, I don't care."

He raised his weapon and sprayed poison darts in a wide arc.

Cat twirled his baton, deflecting the deadly barbs as he dodged out of the way. Ladybug did the same with her yo-yo, spinning it furiously as she leapt into the air and delivered a quick one-two kick to the Hornet's face with both feet. She was unable to grab his gun as she somersaulted over him. He reacted, screaming in pain as he turned to fire, but she was too agile for the lumbering monster.

While he was firing at Ladybug, Cat extended his baton into the Hornet's solar-plexus before delivering a slashing blow to his firing hand, causing temporary paralysis and cutting off the spray of deadly projectiles.

Cat jeered at the enraged villain.

"Seems like you've frozen up Hornet. I think you should make things easy on yourself and just let it go. Come on, you know we'll just keep darting out of the way. Why fire yourself out?"

Hornet was obviously determined to stay on mission.

"I'll spare you if you give me your earrings Ladybug, and I'll take your ring too Cat Noir."

"Aww, does that mean we'll be engaged? I didn't know you liked me like that. This is all so sudden Hornet, can you give me some time to think about it?"

Ladybug mock glared at Cat.

"Kitty!" She giggled. "Should I be jealous? I thought you wanted to marry _me_. Are you really that fickle?"

Marinette's perception of Cat Noir had been forever changed by the day's revelations. She no longer dreaded the next pun, and welcomed his flirting. She also took more notice of his athleticism; watching his every move, sometimes out of the corner of her eye, or just stopping to appreciate the play of light on his suit when she had the chance. She couldn't help noticing that it did very little to hide the rippling muscles underneath as he fought the Hornet, alternately spinning and parrying with his baton in what she now realised was an exhibition of Adrien's champion fencing and martial arts skills. She wanted to rip that suit right off as she kissed him senseless so that she could see that chest, those arms and legs, _that six pack_ , without anything in the way. She wanted to feel some _skin_! Was it any surprise that Cat had developed such an enormous fan base? He had that combination of model looks, supreme confidence, exuberance, generosity of spirit and a friendly smile that produced that ineffable quality called charisma. Knowing who was behind the mask, was it any surprise? In short, she was seeing Cat Noir the way _he_ had always seen _her_. She sighed as she thought to herself, ' _He really is beautiful_ '.

She was enjoying herself almost too much, but it was time to end this. She called for her Lucky Charm and was rewarded with an aerosol can.

"A can of fly spray. Well, this is just too easy."

The problem was that she had stopped the furious spinning of her yo-yo to catch her Lucky Charm. She had been enjoying herself so much that she had relaxed, which could prove to be her undoing. Cat realised that their situation had changed. Ladybug had gone from being in complete control to risking being in serious danger. He could see that the Hornet was shaping up to fire at her while she was distracted. Without hesitating, he leapt over to land in front of Ladybug and shield her from the developing attack, ready to spin his baton.

Ladybug misread Cat's intentions and screamed.

" _NO_!"

She grabbed his shoulders and threw him aside.

"What? My Lady, _NO_!"

Having thrown Cat to her right, and with no time to spin her yo-yo, Ladybug leaped after him, figuring that she had gotten away clean.

 "Wow Cat, that was a close one. Don't scare me like tha..."

She paused as she caught the look of horror on her partner's face, suddenly feeling strange. An odd weakness was spreading rapidly throughout her body.

With a look of complete surprise, Ladybug sank to her knees as she plucked futilely at the solitary barb protruding from the right side of her chest, her fingers already beginning to lose all sensation. She looked at her partner, pleading.

" _Caaat_?"

Cat Noir was already moving. He caught her and ripped the needle out, hoping to reduce the amount of venom entering her bloodstream, but it was all too late.

Cat looked into his beloved's eyes with a feeling of dread as he struggled with the unavoidable realisation that she didn't have much time. He gritted his teeth and focused as if the sheer force of his will could save her, to somehow make her hang on.

" _Why_? Why did you _do_ that Ladybug!? You _know_ you're more important than me. I'm supposed to protect _you_! I _was_  protecting you...Marinette?"

Her chest shuddered as she fought to breathe.

Marinette's body was failing, but her mind was as sharp as ever. Her eyes went wide as they fixed upon Cat Noir's in a brief moment of fear, only to be replaced by a deep sense of sadness for the effect that her premature passing would have on him. How would her parents and friends remember her as the years went by? Her parents would discover that she had been Ladybug in the most awful way and for that, even now, she felt guilt. That turned to sorrow when it occurred to her that they had lost any chance of experiencing the joy of being grandparents. She hoped that their memories of her wouldn't fade too quickly. She was sure that Tikki had experienced this many times in the more than five thousand years of her existence. Did it ever get any easier for her?

"Marinette..please, _no_...you can't...you can't...I can't...not without you; you can't go, you're _everything_... _Please_!...Please...stay with me?...I _can't_ lose you!...I _love_ you Marinette."

He knew that it was hopeless.

In the few moments that remained to her, Marinette reflected upon a life well lived. She had experienced more since she had received her Miraculous than most people could pack into a normal lifetime, but she wanted more. She thought of the life that she might have had with Adrien; of the family that would never be. There would be no baby Emma, no Hugo, and no Louis; not even a hamster. Adrian would never get to model a Dupain-Cheng original, and all because of her silly mistake. She would have given up the last three years _and_ her Miraculous in a heartbeat in exchange for that lost future. She didn't think that she would be capable of it had Adrien been the one who lay here instead of her, but she genuinely hoped that he would not take too long to find someone else. The party would go on, but she was being forced to leave. Would there be anything other than oblivion after she took her final breath? Marinette was amazed to realise that she didn't have long to wait, having only lasted as long as she had because of her superior Ladybug strength. She was unsurprised about whom her final thoughts were of; she was _looking_ at him.

Marinette realised with a terrifying shock that she hadn't _told_ him! She couldn't die without letting Adrien know the depth of her feelings; that she was thinking only of him in her final moments! Suddenly, nothing else mattered. She had to _say_ something.

Cat Noir concentrated like never before as Ladybug's eyes widened, then softened as she forced herself to speak, barely above a high pitched whisper as her chest struggled to rise. In a moment of heightened perception, she saw Adrien's face behind his mask.

She sighed as a solitary tear trickled down her left cheek. It was so hard to _breathe_.

"My beautiful...Kitty...I'm so...sorry!...I didn't want to...lose you....I...wanted...more time...with you...Adri...en...I-I love..you...so mu..."

The light went out of her impossibly blue eyes as her breathing stilled. Numbly, Cat continued to stare at Ladybug's face as her eyes lost their focus and her elfin features relaxed. He tried to stifle a sob as he softly passed his hand over her now vacant face, closing her eyes forever. Everything had changed so fast! It was almost incomprehensible. How could the life of this vibrant, amazingly capable young woman so suddenly be extinguished? He had to resist the urge to scream out his grief to the world; it was a luxury he couldn't afford. He gently, almost reverently, lowered her body to the rooftop as if he thought that she would break, conscious all the while of the Hornet stealthily advancing toward him from behind, assuming that in his grief, Cat would be unaware of him. The vile creature had paused too long to savour his victory over Ladybug. Cat knew that the super-villain was preparing to discharge his weapon. He quietly activated his Cataclysm and, in a surprise move that would have made any martial arts teacher proud, snarled as he spun around to his left while extending his baton and jumping upward toward the hovering akuma to spray him in the face with Ladybug's Lucky Charm before grabbing his throat with his Cataclysm, cutting off the beginnings of a scream as he crushed the monster's larynx with his destructive power. He turned away without a backward glance as the Hornet collapsed, dead before he hit the roof.

The helicopter with the camera crew was still hovering off to one side of the battle scene, transmitting the action back to Nadja Chamack in her studio. A large percentage of the Paris population was transfixed by the vision they were seeing and the news they never wanted to hear. For the first time in her career, Nadja found herself losing her professional detachment.

"Oh my God _no_! Ladybug has been hit! She's collapsed. Cat Noir is holding her in his arms and looking into her eyes. Cat Noir has just closed Ladybug's _eyes_! No-no-no, this can't be happening! I think...I think she's _dead_! Ladybug has been killed by the Hornet. Cat Noir hasn't given up, I've never seen him look like that before. _Yes_! He has disabled the akuma. Cat Noir has defeated the akuma, but...but without Ladybug, who will reverse its damage? Who will bring all of the Hornet's victims back to life? Will their deaths be _permanent_?"

Listlessly, Cat picked up the Hornet's discarded weapon and walked back to Ladybug. He didn't want to break it and release the akuma until he had a plan for its disposal. He wondered if that would be his last official act as Cat Noir. It wasn't a time for making decisions, but he knew that he would be incapable of working with a new Ladybug. No sooner had he finally found that the girl he loved was also his Ladybug, than she had been taken from him, and nothing would ever be the same again. At that moment, rather than capture him, he wanted to do to Hawk Moth what he had done to the Hornet. Kneeling before Ladybug's body, he gently lifted her into his arms and went into a rocking motion as he hugged her, his left hand cradling the back of her head as he held the side of her face to his own. He told himself that she was just sleeping and everything would be alright. What good was the power of destruction in a situation like this? If only he had the power of creation.

The heartbreaking images were still being broadcast, by now to the rest of France as breaking news. Marinette's classmates were unable to look away from the big flat screen in the library. Her parents looked on in the lounge room of their now closed bakery in shock, slowly coming to the unavoidable realisation that their daughter was gone. The centre of their lives for the last eighteen years had been taken from them, and they had watched helplessly as it happened. Sabine began to dissolve into racking sobs and would have collapsed but for Tom's support. He guided her to their couch and sat with his arm around her, knowing that there was nothing he could do. His wife would never know happiness again.

"Tom..." She sobbed, "...our beautiful little girl is _gone_!"

Alya slowly turned her head to stare at Sabine before returning her attention to the TV. Her focus became fixed as her eyes went wide and she whispered,

" _No_!"

Nino looked on in disbelief.

"This is _not_ cool!"

Alya's sense of horror suddenly became more personal. It was upsetting enough for the Ladyblogger to lose her hero, but with the sudden realisation that her best friend was Ladybug came devastation. Almost three years and she had never put it together. Some journalist _she_ was! The intellectual part of her mind observed that it was odd what thoughts could occur at times like this. She tried not to hate herself for Marinette's last memories of her; of how she had spoiled her date with Adrien. _Adrien_! He was almost certainly watching the drama unfolding on the screen. How would he cope when he discovered who he had lost? He was going to need a lot of support from his friends in the coming months, because he certainly wouldn't find it at home. Thinking of him in his huge bedroom at night, alone with the terrible thoughts that would inevitably come to him brought added tears to Alya's eyes. There would be no wedding, and no embarrassing videos to tease the happy couple. Alya doubted that she would ever be able to watch them again, yet to delete them would be a crime. It would be deleting part of Marinette. She realised with a degree of sadness that her childhood had well and truly come to an end.

Nadja had become increasingly uncomfortable with the video feed, her journalistic instincts at war with the feeling that she was intruding upon something that should have remained private. Without warning, Cat Noir sprang away with Ladybug in his arms, carrying her out of view to the right of screen almost too fast for the camera operator to get him back in the picture as he disappeared into the distance. The camera crew was ordered to make no attempt to follow.

To the outside world, Cat Noir was oblivious to everything, so consumed was he by grief, but the analytical part of his mind was still ticking over. It hadn't given up, and out of his subconscious came an unlikely plan, blossoming clear and beautiful in his mind. So simple, yet few would have thought of it. No one _had_ thought of it. He knew that, having called for her Lucky Charm, Ladybug would lose her transformation within moments. Her earrings gave a warning chirp as they counted down to their last spot, leaving less than a minute. Cat still had three minutes before he too would lose his transformation. Assuming his plan was going to work, the first requirement was to protect Ladybug's identity. He sprang away with her, careful to hang onto her Lucky Charm and the dart gun as he left the news helicopter behind. He moved toward the Dupain-Cheng Bakery with a speed that he would previously have thought impossible.

Nadja was finishing her live broadcast. For the first time in her career as a news anchor, she was shedding tears on air, and she hadn't noticed.

"I-I think that Cat Noir has taken his Ladybug home. Whoever her family is, please know that all of Paris is mourning with you. This is Nadja Chamack."

Alya continued to stare at the screen as it went blank but for the message,

' _Farewell Ladybug_.'

She ended the torture and turned the TV off as another anchor took over the continuing news broadcast. Belatedly, Nadja's last statement sank in. Alya turned to Marinette's parents.

"Tom, Sabine, did you hear what Nadja Chamack just said? Cat Noir is bringing Ladybug home. We have to get upstairs!"

As Cat Noir approached the bakery at enormous speed, he was struck by the hollow realisation that he had just lost what he had once thought of as the two most important women in his life. He would normally have felt exhilarated by the wind whistling past his ears as he timed his last leap, but overriding all of his thoughts was an almost overwhelming sense that he needed to act quickly for his plan to succeed. He could only hope that he wasn't too late.

"Come on-come on-come _on_. We can do this Marinette."

Cat landed on the bakery's rooftop balcony, deliberately making as much noise as possible, and ripped open the skylight hatch allowing access to Marinette's bedroom. Holding Ladybug to him, he dropped through the opening and landed on Marinette's bed. He held her as her transformation fell away before carefully laying her body down. He had hoped that Tom and Sabine would have the presence of mind to be waiting for him, and they didn't disappoint. Even knowing what to expect, they still stared in horror at the sight of Cat Noir cradling Ladybug as her transformation fell away to reveal the limp body of their daughter. The reality of what they had seen on the news broadcast had been brought home to them, literally.

Cat Noir had to fight his natural inclination to go to Marinette's parents at the foot of the bed and put his arms around them, but he couldn't pause for social niceties. There would be plenty of time for that later, if he failed. Fortunately, he and Ladybug had long ago compared their kwamis' eating habits. He checked Marinette's purse for cookies, but it was empty.

"Quick, no time to explain! I need a cookie to feed Ladybug's kwami!"

Sabine was galvanised into action and rushed downstairs, welcoming the distraction, while Alya and Nino tried to stay out of the way, quite unprepared for what they were witnessing. Cat was only peripherally aware of their presence. He had less than a minute before he would lose his transformation, but he was too hyped up to wait. Secret identity be damned!

"C _laws in_!"

A flash of green light moved from Cat's feet to his head to expose...

" _ADRIEN_!"

Chorused Alya and Nino. They were already having trouble processing everything, so why should it matter that two small fairy-like creatures with large heads were hovering in the air near their friend...who was _Cat Noir_!? One of the creatures resembled a black cat with green eyes, the other with Ladybug's colours and big blue eyes. For some reason, Adrien was giving the little black creature a piece of _cheese_. It all felt a bit surreal as the little red creature (a kwami?) began to speak to Adrien in a high pitched sing-song voice.

"Cat Noir, what are you going to do? What _can_ you do? My Ladybug is _dead_!"

Tikki was devastated, her whole body drooping in despair. It was always a shock to lose a Ladybug while transformed. She had felt Marinette die. Tikki had known her chosen for such a short time, and she had been one of the special ones. With her kind nature, enormous empathy for others, sense of selfless duty and high intelligence, Marinette had been so fast to learn. She had been the living definition of altruism, and now she was gone.

Tikki stared at Ladybug's partner. Gone was the happy-go-lucky punster. She had never seen such determination on Adrien's face, and she began to allow herself to hope.

Adrien regarded the two kwamis.

"Tikki, I need you to trust me! You too Plagg."

His kwami was unusually subdued, but he had faith in his chosen. At such a young age, he was turning out to be one of the most capable Cat Noirs ever.

"Go for it kid."

Adrien cupped Marinette's face in his hands before gently removing her earrings and attaching them to his own ears. Tikki hovered in front of him as she realised his intentions.

"Cat Noir, no one has ever done this before, I don't know what will happen."

"Tikki, we don't have anything to lose. What's the point of Ladybug's powers of creation if they can't be used to save _her_?"

He knew that Marinette's wasn't the only life that depended upon what happened next, but she was all he could think about. He was entitled to be a little selfish!

"Do what you need to do Adrien, I'll support you as soon as I've re-charged."

As Sabine re-entered the room, Tikki flew to her and frantically grabbed one of the cookies she was carrying. If only she could eat as fast as Plagg! She only needed a couple of minutes, but it seemed an eternity....Finally.

"I'm ready Adrien."

He stood up and made the call.

" _Tikki, spots on_!"

A rosy glow filled the room. Alya's mouth was moving wordlessly as the glow reflected off her glasses. Nino's mouth hung open as he watched his best friend transform into a scarlet superhero while Tom held his wife to him, hope dawning upon them as Adrien's intentions were confirmed.

He smashed the Hornet's dart gun, releasing the purple butterfly. As it flapped it's way toward the skylight, Adrien spun Ladybug's yo-yo up and gave the usual chant.

" _No more evil-doing for you little akuma. Time to de-evilize_!"

He threw the yo-yo out, capturing the akuma as if he had been doing it all his life. He thought of Ladybug's generosity of spirit every time that she released a purified akuma, and her beautiful smile as she said, " _Bye bye little butterfly_." Would he ever see it again?

He cracked open the yo-yo, and watched as the little white butterfly flew away.

"Get lost little butterfly!"

He grabbed Ladybug's Lucky Charm and moved to the still open skylight. He paused and passed his gaze over everyone. He was so high on adrenaline that there was no room for nerves. Turning away, he muttered,

"Here goes nothing."

He took a deep breath, as he threw the lucky charm through the skylight and high into the air with all his strength. For the first time in five hundred years, a male Ladybug was heard to cry,

" _Miraculous Ladybug_!"

The healing cloud of ladybugs spread throughout the city, but Adrien had eyes only for Marinette. He lowered himself to her bed and held her as she was encompassed by the red cloud. Tears came to his eyes as her chest heaved and she took her first breath, followed moments later by the fluttering of her eyelids. Marinette's eyes became impossibly round as an apparently blonde, male Ladybug smashed his lips into her own. As her memories came flooding back, she realised who it must be and gasped as their lips parted.

"Adrien? Why are you wearing my suit?...Mom?... _Dad_?"

She squeaked.

"When I said my suit, I was just talking about Cosplay, you know me... "

"My darling, beautiful, beautiful girl..." Sabine smiled through tears of relief and joy as she rushed forward to hug her daughter. "...your father and I _know_. We've known for a couple of years. Do you _really_ think you could hide something like that from _us_? I only wish we had told you sooner just how _proud_ we are of you. Oh I love you _so much_!"

Tom smiled, "Marinette..." His eyes glistened. He was almost lost for words. "We're so sorry for ever having grounded you, but now I want to ground you for _life_."

"Oh _Daaad_!"

"S _pots off_!"

Marinette watched wide-eyed as the person she loved most in the world was revealed. She remembered the barb protruding from her chest and realised what Adrien must have done. He had always followed her lead yet, when the chips were down, he hadn't just shown initiative, he had made Miraculous history! He stroked her hair as he leaned in, kissed her and whispered,

"I love you so much Bugaboo. I couldn't let you get away from me so easily."

He opened his hands as if he was completing a magic trick to reveal her earrings.

"These _suit_ you much more than they do me."

With infinite tenderness, he kissed her left ear before attaching her Miraculous, followed by the same ritual for her other ear. He looked into Marinette's eyes, still digesting the success of his plan, his face full of wonder as if he couldn't quite believe that she was real, and slowly,...so slowly,...touched her lips with his own. Marinette's arms went around his neck and held him, wanting to savour every moment; as if every kiss might be their last. She ran her hands through Adrien's hair as she felt his heart pounding in time with her own, losing herself to the feel of his breath on her skin, the scent of him, the calluses on his fingers as they cupped her face. She had reconciled herself to death and now felt as if she had received a priceless gift. If it hadn't been for her parents' presence, she would have ripped Adrien's clothes off along with her own and let him take her right there and then. Coming back from the dead tended to change a girl's priorities, and increase her libido. Marinette wanted to live! She had completely ignored the rather embarrassed " _Ahem_!" from her father, not wanting the moment to end but, as had happened earlier in the day, she became aware of the presence of her best friend in a somewhat confronting manner.

"Oh my effing God! Ladynoir is _real_!"

"Alyaaa!... _Alya_!?... _Nino_!?

Overthinking yet again, despite everything that had happened, Marinette felt a pang of guilt as her conscience got the better of her. She had been dreading this moment for almost three years. How would Alya react? Would she ever trust her again? Would she be angry? In that moment, Marinette didn't think that she could cope with any rejection. She looked at her best friend pleadingly.

"Alya, I'm so sorry I kept everything from you. I hated lying to my best friend, but I had to protect you. Can you _ever_ forgive me?"

"Girl, _seriously_? Could you ever be more selfless? You stop apologising right now! There's nothing to be sorry _for_. I'm just so relieved that you're alright. We all love you _so_ much! I'm so proud to be your friend, and I'm so sorry for what I said at the park. I would have suffered a lifetime of guilt if Adrien hadn't brought you back. I always said that one day he would realise how amazing you really are; I just didn't know _how_ amazing. Your secret is safe with us, right Nino?"

"Totally!"

Alya's comments were the trigger that everyone needed. Somehow, they were all able to crowd around Marinette's bed for a group hug as Plagg and Tikki hovered nearby. Adrien's heart melted even more as Marinette giggled.

"I feel like Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz',...except I didn't dream."

As the others slowly retreated down the steps from her bed, Adrien picked Marinette up, bridal style. She put her arms around his neck as he carried her down to her chaise where they sat and held each other. She no longer felt like Dorothy.

Marinette loved her parents and friends dearly, but they slowly faded from her consciousness. She wasn't even aware of it happening as she leaned in and slowly, gently kissed her boyfriend, wanting each sensation to last as long as possible. It was as if she was suddenly alone with the person she loved more than any other. She was vaguely aware of parting kisses from her parents and friends as they withdrew, reluctantly leaving her room. They were still coming to terms with the miracle of her recovery and didn't want to lose sight of her. Nino had to drag Alya away.

"Marinette! Girl, I want to talk to you tomorrow...Marinette? Wait a second Nino!"

"Babe, come on! Give them some _peace_. They need a break!"

Marinette looked into Adrien's eyes before lowering her gaze as she slowly reached for his right hand to hold it tightly in her own. She turned it palm up as she reached over with her left hand and, one by one, slowly pulled each of his fingers back like the petals of a flower until she was holding his open hand. Echoing Cat Noir, she captured his eyes with her own as she brought his hand to her lips and lightly kissed his palm, then turned it over and brushed his knuckles with her lips. The tears in her eyes matched Adrien's as he lost any reserve that was left to him and pulled her into a hug, sobbing quietly. The adrenaline had completely left his system and reaction had set in. He could finally let himself go as the words tumbled out of him.

"Marinette, you _died_!...You died in my arms and I was so _scared_. I thought that I had lost you forever! My job was to protect you, and I _failed_! I couldn't go on without you. I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to let you out of my sight again."

Marinette's long, graceful fingers made gentle calming motions through Adrien's hair and massaged his scalp as she tried to soothe him. He was so capable, and yet so sensitive, so _vulnerable_ where she was concerned. It was what she had seen in him when he gave her his umbrella, seemingly so long ago.

"Adrien, you didn't fail. I acted impulsively and threw you away from me. I _stopped_ you from protecting me. You couldn't anticipate that, and it was _you_ who brought me back!" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "If that wasn't the ultimate expression of love by my beautiful Kitty, then I don't know what love  _is_."

"But that's just _it_ Marinette. You could have brought _me_ back, there was no _need_ to sacrifice yourself. For all you knew, and according to all the known rules of the Miraculous, your death should have been permanent! I really meant it when I said that I couldn't do this without you. I wouldn't _want_ to do it without you. I would have given up my Miraculous!"

Marinette smiled fondly at him as she absently ran the fingers of her right hand through his hair while resting her other hand against his chest; feeling a certain pride in the calming effect she was having on her boyfriend. For his part, Adrien was content to lose himself in his girlfriend's eyes as if she was the only thing left in his world that mattered. He resolved that, if there was ever an engagement in their future, the ring would have to match the incredible blue of those eyes. Marinette marvelled to herself, ' _It's as if I'm having a wish fulfilment dream_.'

"Do you remember our first fight with Volpina? She threatened to drop the illusion of you from the Eiffel Tower and, despite your warnings as Cat Noir that it wasn't real, I was ready to give up my Miraculous until you smashed the illusion with your baton. We were almost sixteen and had almost a year of experience fighting akumas under our belts, so I should have known better; but I couldn't think straight around you and acted impulsively. When I saw the Hornet about to fire at you, it was as if I was sixteen again. I wasn't used to Cat Noir being... _you_! I'm still going to have lapses around you. It's going to take me some time."

"We've got all the time in the world My Lady, until death do we part."

Adrien put his lips to Marinette's again, dimly aware of a camera chirping away in the background before the culprit scampered back down the stairs. The kiss was long and it was passionate and he didn't care who might be watching.

He was thinking to himself, ' _Could this day get any better_?', when he felt his girlfriend's body stiffen against him...

 


	3. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki was right, her mind was rejecting his cure.

Marinette frowned before a range of expressions played across her face, as if something terribly upsetting had just occurred to her. There was uncertainty, followed by a look of total surprise and then, fear.

That was the  _not_  the reaction Adrien had been expecting. He pulled back to look at his girlfriend and saw that her face had paled as she started to sway alarmingly. Had something gone wrong with his cure? He couldn’t know that Marinette’s normally low blood pressure had dropped precipitously.

"Marinette!...What....what's  _wrong_?"

“A..A..dri...en?”

Her eyes slowly closed as she began to slump against him, her head lolling onto his shoulder.

“This can  _not_  be happening!”

Adrien gently lay her down on the chaise and put a cushion under her calves to get some elevation. The day had started so well, but he was beginning to think that he must have angered the spirits. He wondered what else could go wrong.

“Tikki... _Tikki_!”

Marinette’s kwami phased through the floor, having left the room with Plagg to give the couple some privacy. Her eyes went wide as she saw the condition of her chosen, noting that Adrien’s face was ashen as he stroked his beloved’s hair. Plagg wasn’t far behind, and his eyes saddened at what he saw.

“Tikki, what happened? I can’t lose her, not  _again_! You have to  _help_  her! Is it my cure? Could it be failing?”

“I’m not sure Adrien. You’re the first to have ever brought a Ladybug back from the dead.”

She put her forehead to Marinette’s own and her eyes closed. When she opened them again she turned to Adrien with a look bordering on despair.

“It isn’t a physical problem Adrien; Marinette’s blood pressure is dangerously low but her collapse is just a symptom. Deep down, at a very basic level, she is rejecting your cure. If her mind doesn’t accept the reality of her resurrection, she may descend into madness. Marinette will be lost  _forever_!”

Adrien could feel a pain building in his chest. He felt as if he was out of his depth and everything was spiralling out of control. He was almost afraid to ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Is there anything you can do? You’re her kwami, you must be able to do  _something_!”

Tikki hovered in front of Adrien’s face, putting thousands of years of experience into projecting a calming influence to her chosen’s partner.

“Adrien, you have to convince Marinette that your cure worked and she really is alive or she may never recover. I’m sorry to put this onto you, but...”

“What about Master Fu, surely he’s more qualified!”

Tikki’s face softened.

“...Oh Adrien,...there isn’t  _time_  to summon the Great Guardian, and besides, in this case I think that even  _he_  would be unable to save Marinette; I’ll support you as best I can, but you’re the only one who can do it! I’ve had Ladybugs who were married to their Cat Noirs, and they truly loved each other, but none ever loved as deeply and intensely as Marinette loves you, which isn’t a bad thing except that, with her habit of overthinking everything it can cause problems. Even as she was comforting you Adrien, Marinette was beginning to think that she is living in one of her fantasies. Something tipped her over the edge, and now you’re the only one who she will ever believe.”

“Tikki, I don’t even know what to say. I wouldn’t hesitate to give my life for her, but how do I convince her of  _any_  of this?”

Tikki sighed.

“Try to make her feel normal. Distract her from her destructive thoughts long enough for her to realise that she can’t be dreaming. Remember that whatever she says will be her way of trying to make sense of her subconscious rejection of your cure. Ultimately it will be up to Marinette to choose life, but you can help her to make the right decision. There aren’t any rules for this; just follow your heart. You have to be  _strong_  Adrien. Keep reminding yourself that, of all the young men in Paris, the Great Guardian chose  _you_  to be Ladybug’s partner. We can’t wait any longer Adrien, you have to do something... _now_!”

Adrien shook his head before taking a deep breath to prepare himself. He began to massage Marinette’s legs in an attempt to stimulate her circulation but there was no immediate response. He was beginning to lose heart when he felt a rush of adrenaline; Marinette was stirring. His hopes were dashed when she started to mutter and whine to herself before becoming still as her breathing slowed. Adrien was terrified at the thought that the moment of truth had arrived and he really was losing her. He renewed his efforts with increased vigour, telling himself that he would never give up. He was finally rewarded with a soft moan from his girlfriend just as he was beginning to think that it was hopeless. Encouraged by her response, he caressed her hair away from her eyes and started to lightly pat her cheeks. He leaned down and put his lips to her left ear.

"Marinette...Marinette... _please_  Marinette! You have to wake up. It’s Adrien...come back to me."

Still not fully conscious, Marinette slowly shook her head, looking increasingly alarmed as her awareness returned. Her eyes snapped open and went even wider as she inhaled sharply and grabbed Adrien around his neck, holding on as if her very existence depended on it. Adrien slowly straightened, bringing her with him while a series of unwanted images flashed through her mind:

The streets of Paris scattered with bodies, the poison barb protruding from her chest, the look on Cat Noir's face as she lay dying. Despite the disaster that had befallen her, everything had been put right against all the odds. How could that  _be_? ' _I'm getting everything I've ever wanted, as if I'm starring in my very own Disney movie. Could I ever be that lucky? This CAN’T be real! I've been talking to phantoms_.'

She had been so calm as she lay dying on the rooftop such a short time ago, having accepted the inevitability of her fate; knowing that there was nothing more that she could do but try to leave Adrien with the memory of her feelings for him. Things were different now because she had briefly believed in the impossible and felt hope, until Adrien had said what she had wanted from him for so long and she realised the truth. It was just  _too_  perfect, too much of a coincidence that she had just lived a variation of a scene that she had experienced so many times in her dreams. Ever since she had been rescued in her civilian form from the Gamer by Cat Noir, she had fantasised about being carried off by Adrien, if not her super heroic partner, and always with a similar ending. Things just didn’t  _happen_  that way in real life. Was it any surprise that she would twist the narrative while fading into death? Tears came unbidden to her eyes and trailed down her cheeks as a tremendous sense of loss threatened to overwhelm her.

"Adrien, you just said what I've always wanted to hear, the exact words that I've dreamed about for two and a half  _years_!..."

"Marinette what...?! You fainted; you have to believe in my cure. You...your life could depend on it!"

"...Until death do we  _part_? It doesn't  _feel_  right. What if all this is just a wish fulfilment dream while my brain is shutting down?...I'm probably already  _dead_!"

"No Marinette, stop! I  _saved_  you, everything is alright! It's just your imagination. We’ve got our whole lives to live ahead of us...together! You’re a superhero and you deserve to get what you want. We both deserve what we want, and I want  _you_! You’re  _my_  superhero."

Marinette was no longer listening. She was still in a semi-dream state, and her thoughts were leading her deeper into despair.

"...What if I'm still  _dying_ on that rooftop? You said it yourself! By all the rules of the Miraculous, I should be  _dead_!"

“Marinette, that was just me and my big mouth...I was  _worried_  about you and blabbering on because I was so relieved that my plan worked! You  _have_  to believe me!”

In her distress, Marinette was creating an air of unreality to her perception of everything around her. Adrien tried to shake off his feelings of helplessness. His girlfriend was staring at him but she wasn't seeing him. Effectively, she was talking to herself.

"I still feel as if this isn't  _real_. How can I be alive after I died? After  _Ladybug_  died? It’s impossible! I don't know what I'm going to do tonight. I can't go to  _sleep_! I'm  _afraid_  to go to sleep. What if I don't wake  _up_?"

Marinette's voice had risen as she became increasingly desperate and ended almost in a shriek. She had let go of Adrien and was hyperventilating and hugging herself in fear, prompting Adrien to try to tighten his hold on her while cursing himself for being so slow. He had to calm her down the way she had just done for him, but he wasn't sure what he could say or do despite Tikki’s advice. Unaware that she had shaken him off, Marinette frantically ran her hands over her clothes and through her hair. She grabbed Adrien's right hand and squeezed as she held it up to her eyes, studying it as she felt its texture. She moved her fingers over his ring and twiddled it as she tried to convince herself that everything was real. She felt as if she was still locked into a nightmare. She started to glide her hands over the surface of her chaise to see if it felt subtly different to the way that she remembered. Her emotional state was increasingly distorting her perception, making everything around her appear to waiver as if not quite real. Her low blood pressure didn’t help. For Marinette, it was a surreal experience that only served to reinforce her fears. She felt a tension welling up in her diaphragm that was so intense that it hurt.

“Marinette, think back. You would have laughed at anyone who suggested the existence of Miraculous holders and their kwamis before you were chosen, and look what’s happened. Do you think that all of our time together was just a delusion?”

Marinette stared through him, her mouth working silently. Without warning, she screamed. To Adrien it was possibly the most disturbing sound he had ever heard from a human being. A high pitched, drawn out shriek of fear and anguish that somehow managed to convey feelings of incredible loss and pain. He didn’t think that things could get any worse; and then she wailed,

"I'M DYING-I'M DYING-I'M DYING-I'M  _DYING_!"

Her words degenerated into hiccuping sobs and moans leaving Adrien aghast at her broken expression. He ached for her, desperately wanting to end the suffering that had seemed to come on so suddenly. Ten minutes earlier, Marinette had been  _fine_! She had calmed  _him_  down. She had been so happy to be alive with the knowledge that he loved her, but she had somehow turned that against herself into evidence that she was imagining everything. Tikki was right, her mind was rejecting his cure. He knew that this was real; but how could he possibly convince Marinette in her present condition? How  _do_  you convince someone that life isn't an illusion? ' _I know that I'm real. I wouldn't be having my own inner thoughts if this was just Marinette's dream_.'

Tom and Sabine came pounding up the stairs, closely followed by Alya and Nino, who had been about to go home. They had felt a collective chill as that first agonised howl cut through the building.

Adrien waived them off. He had managed to put his arms around Marinette and tighten his hold on her in a desperate bid to comfort her. Her violent shaking only served to reinforce his own feelings of inadequacy. He didn’t know how he would be able to live with himself if he failed his Lady. He could feel himself tearing up at the thought. He had to get control of the situation!

"No-no-no-no Marinette. You  _aren’t_  dying. You're alive! I'm real. You're in shock...you fainted..."

Marinette's parents looked even more alarmed, if that was possible.

"...Feel my arms around you. Feel my face. Look into my eyes. You're  _safe_! You  _know_  what I had to do to bring you back. Has that ever occurred to you before? Have you ever thought about anything like that,... _ever_? Nobody has. Getting what you want doesn't mean that you're dreaming. Could a dying dream last so long with so much detail? You have to trust your senses Marinette. I'm never going to leave you. I made that decision long before we kissed in the park. You've always been the only one for me; that’s a simple and undeniable fact! Didn’t I make myself clear before we fought the Hornet? Can’t you believe that it’s possible for me to love you? Do you think so little of yourself? Test me! Ask me something with an answer that you can't possibly know. Ask me  _anything_!"

A semblance of calm had slowly returned to Marinette's face while Adrien spoke as she struggled to compose herself. She searched his face, wanting so very much to believe him. She reached up and gently, hesitantly brushed the tears from his eyelashes before staring at the tips of her fingers in fascination. Her voice became very small.

"Will...will you stay with me tonight?...You can just sit with me if you like. I...I can't be alone! I don't want you to leave me.  _Please_  don't leave me!?"

For a brief moment Adrien felt his spirits soar before reason took over. He wondered whether it was his own fantasy that was coming to life. Marinette had just asked him to do what had been in his dreams in one form or another since he had first met her, either as Ladybug or later, her civilian identity, and but for her collapse he may have jumped at the opportunity despite her parents being in the room. Upon reflection he realised that he must always have known at some level that Marinette was Ladybug, otherwise he simply could not have developed the same feelings for her that he had for her super alter ego. It was as if he had been so blinded by his love for Ladybug that he had been unwilling to face up to the truth until it slapped him in the face after he belatedly started to think about the woman behind the mask. He couldn’t have prevented himself from falling for Marinette if he had tried. There could never be anyone else for him, which meant that the prospect of losing her was terrifying. He never wanted to leave her alone again and yearned to be the one to hold her in his arms every night and make her feel safe, but right now he didn’t want to feed into her delusion.

Adrien could see the tears of desperation in Marinette’s eyes mirroring his own as she pleaded with him, but that didn’t prevent him from being very conscious of the presence of her parents and her precarious mental state when he framed his reply. He spoke softly.

"Marinette,...my beautiful, beautiful Marinette...if I stay, won't that confirm your worst fears? Won't you interpret that as yet more evidence that you're just dreaming? I'm tempted to say ' _No_ ' if it will convince you that my cure worked."

"It wouldn't make me feel any better Adrien. I still want you with me, even if it  _is_  only my imagination. I've been fantasising about being with you since the day we first met as civilians and you gave me your umbrella. Would I ever admit to that if I wasn’t dreaming? What does it matter if I have one last dream?"

That was almost too much for him. He cupped her face in both hands and whispered,

“Marinette don’t! You’re torturing yourself... _please_. I’ll stay with you for as long as you need me. I meant it when I said that I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to let you out of my sight again.”

Marinette’s parents were still recovering from the shocking trauma of seeing their only child die earlier that day and Sabine could restrain herself no longer. She rushed forward to fling her arms around her daughter, almost knocking Adrien over in the process.

"Darling Marinette, you've been through so much today. You've had a terrible shock. Please believe me, you're safe now; nobody can hurt you. We won't  _let_  anyone hurt you. Adrien is right; getting what you want doesn't mean that you're dreaming. If you want him to stay, he can stay, after all, you're an adult now, right Tom?"

Her husband couldn't bring himself to do more than nod stiffly. Marinette would always be his little girl. He was having difficulty enough coming to grips with the speed of events since he had teased Adrien earlier in the day. One minute he had been joking about his daughter's naive assumption that her parents were ignorant of her secret identity, the next she was having her new boyfriend stay overnight. What the...?

Sabine continued to plead with Marinette.

"Honey? Will you give yourself a chance? For Papa and me? Please?...For  _Adrien_?"

“I’m  _trying_  Mom. I love you both... _so_  much!...And I would do  _anything_  for Adrien...” Her face coloured up as she finished quietly, “...Thanks for letting him stay with me.”

Alya broke in with her usual enthusiasm, doing her best to sound positive and lighten the mood.

"Girl, if you need proof that you aren’t living out one of your little fantasies, I can stay here and keep you and Adrien company. What do you reckon Nino?...” She winked, “...Should we make it a group sleepover with these two lovebirds?"

"Great idea babe. We can make sure they behave themselves. You happy with that bro?"

Adrien looked at the grinning couple, then Marinette, who was staring wide eyed and open mouthed.

" _Sure_ , if it'll make Marinette feel better."

He was fairly sure that it wouldn’t, but it might take her mind off herself for awhile.

He was right, Marinette wasn’t feeling better at  _all_. In fact she felt as if everything was going wrong all over again. How hard was it supposed to  _be_  to get some time alone with her boyfriend!? Was she to be thwarted even in her dreams? ' _Would I really choose a dream like this_?  _Am I THAT stupid_?'

"But,...but,  _Adrien_!? You, I wanted,...alone..us?  _Alyaaa_!"

She felt even more annoyed when her supposedly best friend merely snickered in response.

Tom suddenly found himself feeling less apprehensive about his daughter and began to relax for the first time since the akuma attack. He would have felt differently if he had known what was really going on.

"Marinette, you have such good friends! I never thought I'd be happy to say this, but they're welcome to stay all night if they want, and I’ll keep the pastries coming."

Marinette looked at her father in dismay. She felt as if she was being betrayed and everything was going wrong for her. She had briefly forgotten that she was supposed to be dying. All she could think about was the impending loss of her chance to be alone with her boyfriend. Didn’t anyone care about what  _she_  wanted?

"Pa _pa_! What are you  _saying_? I need to rest!...With  _Adrien_!"

Marinette could see that Alya was struggling to keep a straight face and felt even more enraged by what came out of her mouth next.

"Like you  _ever_  intended to  _rest_! Girl, don't fret so much, this is going to be  _great_. I have so many questions, and it's  _Friday_  so we can stay up all night! If this is your wish fulfilment dream, I'm really enjoying it. Whatever we do won't matter. Just  _think_ , no consequences! Yay!" She leaned in and whispered, "You can do whatever you want with Adrien,...think about it. Nino and I might even leave if you need some privacy."

She tried not to laugh at Marinette’s reaction, but couldn’t keep the smirk off her face. She thought the pink flush spreading up from Marinette's throat was an encouraging sight. At least she was reacting more like her usual self.

"Alya! Why are you  _doing_  this to me!?"

"Come on girl. If you're so sure that you're dying, why don't you live a little? You're eighteen already! Make the most of it!"

Adrien looked quizzically at Alya. What had she just said to affect Marinette so much? At least he didn’t have to worry about her blood pressure anymore. Her face almost matched the colour of her _suit_!Whatever it was, he was grateful for Alya’s almost instinctive ability to distract Marinette from her self-destructive thoughts. It took an extreme act of will for him to appear as if he was no longer quite so afraid for his girlfriend’s sanity. Lightheartedly he added,

"You know Marinette, your parents will be downstairs. Are you so sure that you really need me to stay? After all, I'm pretty confident that they'll be happy to let their little girl crawl into bed with them."

Marinette looked affronted.

"I'm not a _little girl_ anymore!"

Before she noticed the twinkle in her boyfriend’s eye and slapped him on the chest.

"Adrien! You're  _teasing_  me!"

"Oof! Very perceptive My Lady; you really don't know your own strength do you?...” He wheezed, “...Now,...would I have said that if this was just...a wish fulfilment...dream? Hmm...my little bug? Surely it must give you  _paws_  for thought. If this really is just your dream, I have a  _feline_  that it’s going to be pretty  _clawful_  for  _you_. I’d be feeling  _pussed_  off with my subconscious if I was you Bugaboo.  _Purrhaps_  you’ll be happier if you  _furrget_  this crazy fantasy idea of yours. It’s obviously  _bugging_  you."

Despite his earlier reveal, Marinette was still trying to process Adrien Agreste cracking puns when Tikki, who had been hovering in the background, flew up to her as if she intended to give her a quick peck and, without warning, pinched her on the cheek.

"Ow!"

Was that real enough for you Marinette!? Don't waste the chance you've been given. Adrien did what you’ve done so many times and reversed the akuma’s damage, so accept it and let yourself be happy! You're my chosen and it's time for you to start acting like it again. You can't start to heal if you don't trust your senses enough to believe in the real world!..."

"But Tikki..."

"...Yes, this could still be part of your dream; but if it is a dream, just enjoy it. What other choice do you have? Maybe all life is an illusion, but I can tell you that if you die again in this dream, you really  _will_  be dead!"

Plagg decided to help out in his own inimitable way.

"Hi, I'm Plagg, Cat Noir's kwami. Nice to meet you. Your boyfriend is too rude to introduce us. Forget these losers, I need cheese; Camembert would be good. I luuurve Camembert on sourdough! Just eat some cheese and you'll feel better, what d'you say?"

Adrien glared at him.

"Plagg, you're not helping!"

"What would  _you_  know!? I’ve been telling you since we first met, cheese fixes everything! You'll never understand; besides, if this is only Marinette’s dream, how could I introduce myself to her for the first time if she’s never met me before?"

Plagg was feeling pretty pleased with himself, but his little display of logic went completely unnoticed by Marinette. She felt as if she was in a different kind of nightmare, however well intentioned, and couldn’t think straight.

"You're not going to pinch me are you?"

"Not unless you really want me to. I never took you for the kinky type. I'm much more personable than Tikki. Give me cheese and I'm yours. I don't know how you can choose Adrien over Camembert. It's Humanity's greatest creation!"

Marinette hesitated as she contemplated her friends' efforts to help her. Even her parents were smiling! She was so lucky to have them there for her. She knew that they were doing their best, yet it was all getting to be too much. Could a dream be so detailed? She didn't think it was possible, or was that pawsable? So why did everything feel so odd? Even though she was brought back by Adrien in perfect physical condition, her mind had been traumatised. She had been so full of confidence before the Hornet; how quickly that had changed. She had always wanted Adrien to love her as deeply as she did him, so why not accept it? Because it seemed just too good to be true  _that’s_   ****why! The whole _day_ was probably a retrospective figment of her imagination. She was going around in circles. She wanted, no,  _needed_ more time alone with Adrien. If she could give him all her attention, she might have more energy. She could do what he had suggested and really test him. She just wanted to go to sleep that night feeling safe in his arms, but with everyone at her, she was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

"A-Adrien, I don't...I don’t feel well. I-I think I'll lie down."

Her parents’ eyes widened in alarm, but Adrien had rushed back to her side before they could move and put his arms around her, unable to mask the apprehension radiating from him. He was terrified that she was going to collapse again.

"Marinette I'm so sorry! I was trying to cheer you up and I went too far! I didn't think how you might be affected by everyone teasing you. I  _hate_  seeing you upset. Tell me what you want me to do. Have I been any help at _all_?"

Marinette tried to smile and stroked his jaw with her hand.

"Of course you have Kitty. Surely you know that I'd be lost without you. I just feel so..." She yawned. "...tired; I’ll be fine."

Alya tried to maintain her outwardly cheerful expression. She had felt so much relief mixed with a certain amount of awe for her best friend, only for that to be forgotten when she witnessed Marinette’s distress. She had only ever known her to be an optimist, always trying to see the positives in any situation, with the glaring exception of her habit of overthinking everything involving Adrien, yet now it struck her that perhaps, despite the brave face, Marinette was broken.

"Well girl, if this is a wish fulfilment dream, you must have some really odd wishes don'tcha think?"

Marinette's eyes went round.

"I...I...I..."

Adrien interrupted her by touching his right index finger to her lips before distracting her completely with a gentle kiss. He wasn't going to let her work herself up again. He slowly ran his hands through her hair and caressed her face, kissing her again as he did so. He wanted her to understand that the immediacy and feel of such physical contact simply couldn’t be imagined. He had to admit that it felt pretty damn good as well. He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

"Let yourself trust me Marinette. Just give yourself some time. Give  _us_  some time. I’ll hold you all night if that’s what you want."

He stood and pulled Alya and Nino aside to whisper,

"You've both been really great, and I know we joked about staying up all night, but I think it might be time to wind down for the day. Marinette is exhausted. Would you be too upset if I asked you to say goodbye to her?"

Nino nodded in understanding.

"Dude, don't  _worry_. I'll check on you tomorrow."

Alya glanced over to Marinette, who had started nervously fidgeting with her chaise again despite her parents’ presence. She moved to sit next to her and put her arms around her.

"I think it's time to let you rest girl. I'm so in awe of you. I don't know how you've managed so well for so long, but you and Adrien don't have to be alone anymore. You know that you can still call me anytime just like always don't you?"

Marinette continued to run her fingers over her chaise, afraid to look up and meet Alya’s eyes.

“Alya, I just...I just don’t know what to...You're just the best friend I could ever ask for. I don't deserve you after the way I've lied to you for almost three years! I was trying to protect you but it still feels wrong! And now I'm so weak that I’m making you leave. I’m so lame! I’m  _lamer_  than lame! I'm a  _loser_!"

Alya was alarmed to note that her friend looked as if she was going to cry again. She put her hands on Marinette's shoulders.

"Hon, it’s closer to two and a half years! I said it before and I'll say it again, you have  _nothing_  to feel guilty about. What if I had known your identity when I was akumatized? Lady Wifi would have betrayed you to Hawk Moth on national TV. You did the right thing, and after all that, you  _still_  trusted me enough to give me the Fox Miraculous! Do you have any idea just how  _special_  that was for me? Even if it  _was_  only part-time!  _Look_ , I know you're feeling low right now, but you have to stop beating yourself up all the time. You aren't fifteen anymore alright? I was so lucky to meet you when I did. You're so easy to love that I'd want to marry you myself if I wasn't straight. Adrien is a really lucky man to have you, so I'm going to leave to let you rest and be alone with him, although just between you and me,...” She winked, “...I think those two things might be mutually exclusive."

Marinette tried not to blush and cry at the same time, but both girls were teary eyed as Alya gave her a parting hug.

"Come on Nino. Let’s go before I embarrass myself."

Alya paused on the steps to look wistfully back at Marinette. She couldn't stop herself from fretting when she saw how she looked. It was hard to reconcile the larger-than-life hero of Paris flying through the air and dispatching super-villains with the fragile, almost doll-like figure on Marinette's chaise. She hoped that Adrien would be able to perform another miracle.

Adrien pulled his phone out and called home to leave a message for his father that he would be staying with the Dupain-Chengs to keep Marinette company. To avoid any dangerous speculation about them, he added that he and his girlfriend had been two of the Hornet's victims, and would have remained so but for Ladybug. He had no way of knowing that Gabriel's face had paled when he received the message. Adrien would have been surprised to know that he even cared and, if asked, would have put it down to concern for the potential loss of a valuable asset. He asked for his bodyguard to bring him a change of clothes, his pyjamas and his electric toothbrush with an extra head. He turned back to Marinette.

"I'm going to prove to you that this is all real Buginette. You're going to be alright. This cat is going to have mew purring in no time."

Marinette didn’t even notice the pun.

"I'm sorry I was so childish Adrien. You must think I'm so silly."

Adrien paused, conscious of his girlfriend's efforts to recover and put a brave front on a suddenly fragile psyche. He was feeling a little shell shocked himself and was afraid to say anything that might cause any more stress. Expecting Marinette to go on as usual without any recovery period would be unrealistic and unfair. This wasn't some TV show where the hero could be knocked out half a dozen times without even suffering a concussion. He had been traumatised enough himself by the temporary death of the love of his life, and the initial success of his plan to bring her back hadn't prevented  _him_ from breaking down. He couldn't imagine what it must now be like for her.

"Marinette, I don't think you're silly and I don't think any less of you. The other victims' memories would have been wiped by my cure. You’re suffering from the trauma of what happened to you today; you remember  _everything_  and you can't just shrug that off. It’s one of the benefits and curses that comes with being Ladybug. The next time you want me to stay, I won’t argue."

Sabine tried to act as if everything was getting back to some kind of normal.

"Marinette, I know that you want to rest, but it'll be good for you to have something to eat; you too Adrien. I don't want to hear about any more fainting. I'm happy to bring something up for the two of you, but you're both welcome to eat with us old people if you’d like."

"Thanks Mom."

"Thanks Mrs Dupain-Cheng, and you  _aren’t_  old!"

"Oh, you  _are_  a charmer! Adrien, I think we've been through enough for you to call me Sabine, don't you? In addition to being Marinette's boyfriend, you're the man who brought my daughter back to me. You're part of my family now."

"Uh,...s-sure...uh, Sabine, thanks...I'm...I’m really honoured."

“Marinette, it’s important to get your blood sugar up, so I’m making salmon and spinach pie and one of your favourites for dessert, marble brioche with lemon filling! I think we still have some in stock, so you won’t have to wait too long.”

Marinette did her best to let her mother know that she was appreciated by sounding as enthusiastic as she could in spite of her fatigue.

“I love you Mom, you’re the best!”

Sabine put her arms around her daughter in a parting hug before leaving to prepare dinner.

“I’m so glad you’re feeling better my darling.” 

* * *

Sabine had provided a beautiful meal, with tomatoes, broccoli and a baguette on the side, yet Marinette had only picked daintily at her food despite her hunger, more out of a sense of duty than any real desire to eat. She had mangled her pie in the end. Adrien figured that she was used to nothing but the best every night. He had noticed the approving looks that he received from both of Marinette’s parents when he had gently reminded her more than once to keep going, commenting every time that he didn’t want another fainting incident. He wasn’t averse to guilting Marinette into doing the right thing for herself, pleading with her to finish her meal or he would be too worried to eat his own. He realised with a start that his girlfriend had created the illusion of eating some of her pie by spreading it around on her plate without any of it actually passing her lips. 

“Marinette, I thought you _liked_ salmon and spinach pie. You’ve just about  _killed_  it!”

Marinette had already been thinking about her first night with the love of her life and she wanted to make a good impression. The love of her life would have been more than a little suprised if he had been able to read the thoughts that were swirling around in her head, and they had nothing to do with her dying on a rooftop.

“I don’t want to have fish breath Adrien. How are you going to be able to...sleep if I stink you out of bed?”

“Marinette, I’m eating the same food as you, but I have a great little invention called the electric toothbrush, and with enough toothpaste you won’t be able to tell that I’ve eaten a thing. I also have a spare head with your name on it, so come on, eat up! I don’t want to be kept awake all night by your growling stomach!”

“But  _Aadriennn_!”

“M’Lady, you’re in more need of food than I, and I’m  _starving_! Besides, if you’re that worried, I can just sit at the foot of your bed, safely out of range...like you suggested.”

“No-no-no-no-no! I’ll be fine. You’re  _right_ , I can clean my teeth! No problemo, I  _love_  this pie.”

She matched her words with action and immediately attacked the mess on her plate with gusto, to the quiet amusement of everyone around her. She looked up just in time to see her parents attempting to straighten their faces and lowered her eyes in embarrassment. Adrien snickered,

“Don’t you forget to eat your greens young lady!”

Yes, that was most definitely the death stare!

“Too much?”

He made things a little better by leaning over and kissing Marinette on the mouth.

“Your lips taste just fine to me Buginette.”

Much to everyone’s relief, dessert went more smoothly. In fact, it seemed that Marinette was in a rush to get her meal over with. Adrien was wondering what that was all about when she grabbed his hand and tried to pull him to his feet. He didn’t budge.

“Marinette, don’t you want to stay and chat with your parents over coffee? What’s the rush?”

Marinette felt more than a little exasperated with her boyfriend’s apparent naivety. She had to remind herself that he had remained completely oblivious to her feelings when the rest of their class knew  _exactly_  what was going on. Her parents were no help whatsoever.

Sabine thrust a mug of coffee into her hand.

“Here you are my darling. This should  _perk_  you up.”

“Momm! You’ve been infected by Cat Noir!”

Adrien chuckled,

“Your mom is very _infusiastic_. You could say she’s a... _coffee_  cat!”

The groan from his girlfriend was worth it.

* * *

Despite his apparent confidence at dinner, Adrien was still feeling very unsure of himself by the time that he returned to Marinette’s bedroom. He knew that she wasn’t out of danger yet. He left her there to go and clean his teeth in the bathroom a floor below instead of using the basin in her bedroom to give himself a chance to think. What could he possibly do to get her to relax? Tikki’s advice was repeating itself over and over in the back of his head as he returned to her bedroom. She needed something familiar that could distract her from her fears. He hoped that she would cross a threshold and come to the realisation that things had gone on far too long for her to be dreaming. He paused at Marinette’s floor hatch upon observing that she was still nervously passing her hands over anything within reach. He continued to watch in fascination as she stood and slowly moved about her room, running her fingers over her favourite things, occasionally leaning forward and studying an object in minute detail. It was time for him to do something more.

"Hey Marinette, do you think you can still beat me at your favourite video game? How about I give you an Ultimate Mecha Strike lesson? I've improved a lot and I've still got the lucky charm that you gave me two years ago."

After being startled enough to jump at the sound of his voice, Marinette turned and stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing him appraisingly, her unhappy look dropping from her as if nothing had happened. Her bearing had completely changed, leaving Adrien to stare in amazement. Why had he never noticed that look on her before? She didn't need a skintight suit for him to be able to see his Ladybug. Whenever she looked at him like that, she took his breath away.

"Well Mister Agreste, you must think you’re pretty special! I can see that I'm going to have to put you in your place; you're on! You'll need more than luck to get past me. Besides, I still have the lucky charm that  _you_  gave  _me_!"

"My Lady, you can put me in your special place any time you want!"

Marinette inhaled sharply and gaped at him. Adrien smiled uncomprehendingly back at her.

“What?”

He thought back, his eyes widening as the significance of her reaction to what he had just said finally sank in. Suddenly  _he_  was the one who was feeling awkward. He really was off his game; his puns were awful, and free association when he was thinking about Marinette was obviously not a good idea.

"Wh-what I meant was, I can't think of anything better than you having me, I mean having me play with your special place, I mean staying with you is special. Crap! I'm sorry Marinette. I’ve gone and made you feel uncomfortable haven’t I? I don’t feel so special now."

Marinette tittered, 

"Oh  _Adrien_ , I'm not a prude; you just surprised me. Video games are fun but...” She all but leered at him...” I prefer your second suggestion. Are you sure that you still want to play Mecha Strike, or would you just like to...play?"

"Mecha Strike! Yes... _yes_! I think that's a  _really_  good idea Marinette. Wait, wasn’t that  _my_  idea?" He quietly exhaled, "Phew!"

Marinette giggled at her boyfriend’s obvious discomfort. She thought that he looked way too cute for her own good when he was embarrassed.

The object of her amusement was feeling anything but calm. Was Marinette suggesting what he thought she was? He had no hangups in that area, but he couldn't help feeling that it would be wrong. ' _Am I being old fashioned_?' He had so much love and respect for her that he was already thinking of Marinette as a life partner, and he didn’t want to spoil that. No  _way_  was he going to allow himself to take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable. She might be full of confidence now, but he knew how easily that could all change. She was so emotionally fragile and he had a responsibility to look after her. He would do that for the rest of his life if she would let him. He wanted Marinette to know that she could always trust him to do what he thought was right for her; to somehow put her first without appearing to be patronising. At the same time, he didn't want her to feel rejected. He felt as though he was negotiating an emotional mine field and any decision he made would be the wrong one. What a day! He told himself that he was doing the right thing and following Tikki’s advice. He was sure of one thing; after what Marinette had been through, she needed to feel a sense of total security, and  _he_  was going to be the one to give her that feeling.

He came out of his reverie to find that Marinette was already sitting in front of her monitor with an empty chair beside her. She was looking at him quizzically.

“What are you waiting for handsome? Don’t you want to teach me a lesson?”

It was only then, after all he had been through with Marinette, that Adrien’s eyes actually focussed on the walls of her bedroom, and her poster collection. Apart from one each of Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale and Ed Sheeran off to the side, it looked like a good part of his recent modelling portfolio was spread over the two walls flanking her work station...And his most recent work happened to be Gabriel’s underwear range. He couldn’t hide his surprise, nor prevent a small gasp from escaping as he slowly looked around the room. There was even a framed photograph! How had he _missed_ all that? He really  _had_  been focussed on his girlfriend to the exclusion of all else. Belatedly Marinette followed his gaze. She squeaked.

“I can explain! It’s not what you think! I use them for research!... _Ohhh_!”

Her newfound confidence was shattered. She turned away, hunching in on herself and bowing her head as if she could make herself disappear. She was absolutely mortified and wondered what more she could do to embarrass herself. Could this day get any worse? This wasn’t a dream; it was a nightmare! She felt a hand come down softly on her shoulder and gently squeeze. Before she could react, she felt her chair begin to slowly swivel around. She made a token effort at resistance by putting her feet on the floor and trying to get some traction but she knew it wouldn’t help and she would have to face the inevitable. She couldn’t bring herself to lift her head, instead forcing herself to peek through her lashes, as if somehow she could still hide behind them. Through a haze she found her boyfriend looking at her with the same compassionate lopsided smile that, for as long as she had known him, always came over his face whenever he dismissed yet another verbal faux pas on her part. To Adrien’s eyes Marinette’s reaction only served to make her look even more irresistibly beautiful.

“Adrien I...Tikki was meant to, I mean,...you must think I’m so  _creepy_!”

“Marinette, I think Tikki had more important things to worry about than your posters, and I really do hope that they  _do_  mean what I think.”

His voice softened and his eyes...Marinette was getting lost in those eyes and felt herself falling for her boyfriend all over again. She felt hot and clammy and her legs seemed to have gone numb. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world.

“I was thinking that those posters might just be another expression of My Lady’s feelings for me. It’s alright Marinette,... _really_! I’m flattered. Have you forgotten? I told you years ago that I was glad to have you as a fan after I saw your wall decoration. I was just  _briefly_  surprised to see so many underwear pics...”

His smile widened and he winked at his little pun, which had Marinette reflexively rolling her eyes and seeming to snap out of her funk, just as he had hoped.

“...Besides, I’m not so different. You should see all the Ladybug merch in my own bedroom. I have a chart full of stats all aimed at working out your secret identity, and we  _both_  know how close I was getting. Of course, I could have used my night vision to follow you home after patrol, but that would have been cheating. If you’re creepy, then so am I, and you’re not. It’s obvious to  _me_  that we were meant to  _be_ , so come on Buginette, you deserve to have some fun.”

And with that he turned Marinette around to face her monitor before giving both her shoulders a final squeeze and sitting down beside her. Marinette sighed inwardly and reached for her controller, only to find a larger hand closing over her own. As she had done years earlier before they fought the Gamer, she instinctively tried to jerk her hand away, but it was caught in a vice like grip. She held her breadth as Adrien slowly raised it to his lips and brushed them across her knuckles while looking into her eyes.

"I'll always be here for you Marinette; I love and adore you...Now, let's see what you've got!"

Marinette sighed,

"Oh Aadrienn...wha? Not fair!"

He had smashed her custom Ladybug mech while she was still activating her own controller in an attempt to gain an early advantage. Why hadn't he noticed before that she had so many Ladybug themed items? He would probably have just put it down to her being a diehard fan. He really  _had_  been in denial.

Adrien had been holding his own, yet slowly but surely the mistakes started creeping in and he began to sweat. Marinette looked as if she could still go up a gear; her skill was almost unnatural. He couldn't complain if it helped her forget about her fears, but still, it would be nice to win  _one_  game. He was about to lean over and distract her with a kiss at a crucial point when something stopped him. What did it matter if he lost? In the long run it would be a win for both of them. He could see that Marinette was enjoying herself much more than he had ever expected and almost lost all concentration when he noticed the tip of her tongue poking out from the side of her mouth. How could she switch from looking so fragile to so incredibly capable to so cute so fast? He suspected that even had he possessed his girlfriend’s skills, he would probably be too distracted to have any chance of taking a game off of her.

After ten straight losses, Adrien’s goal had been reduced to losing with dignity by as little as possible. He pushed himself away from the computer desk and spun his chair around after yet another loss.

"You're amazing Marinette. You're the only one in the school who can beat me, and you make it look so easy! I’ll bet you were just toying with me."

Marinette came out of her zone and looked at him, suddenly feeling contrite.

"No Adrien, you're really good! You're the only one who can push me. Even Max can't do that."

"Well, I'm worn out. I needed a shower after fighting the Hornet, but now I really do  _stink_."

"No-no-no! Let's do something else! You smell  _nice_! We can play a game that you’re better at than me."

"Marinette, I haven't stopped playing because I was losing; it's just getting late, I need to take a shower and you need to rest. Don't worry, I won’t be long.”

“But...but..I don’t want to be  _alone_!”

“Marinette, you were alone when I cleaned my teeth.”

“That was only a few minutes, and I didn’t notice!”

Adrien stifled a smile as he did his best to look hurt.

“I left My Lady alone and she didn’t even  _miss_  me? That’s so harsh Marinette! Maybe I’m the one having a bad dream.”

Marinette leapt out of her seat and paced back and forth looking horrified. It was pure vintage Marinette behaviour that couldn’t help but make her boyfriend breathe a little easier. The sheer cuteness of it would make anyone who knew her smile, but for Adrien, it was almost too much. He felt his love for her welling up inside him until he was struggling to control himself.

“ _No_!...no-no-no Adrien! I’m so  _sorry_! That isn’t what I meant! I was distracted. I would  _never_  take you for granted, I lo...mmmm.”

She hadn’t noticed her boyfriend quietly stand and wait for her to turn into him until he took her in his arms and kissed her. Marinette’s arms automatically went around his neck and her eyes closed. For a moment she forgot all of her worries until, reluctantly, their lips parted and she sighed as she saw the cheeky grin on Adrien’s face that had become so familiar to her over the years, especially when he was transformed.

“You were joking weren’t you? You silly cat!”

“Well Buginette, do you still think you’re dreaming? Or can I go and have my shower without you doing you best to attract an akuma?”

The startled look that appeared on Marinette’s face told Adrien that he may have just said the wrong thing,...again! He felt like kicking himself.

“I...I’m not...sure! I still don’t want to be alone...and I  _still_  think you smell nice!”

Adrien gazed at his beautiful girlfriend and felt his heart melting. It would be so easy to give in to his own desires and have her get under the shower with him. He reflected that doing so would probably start Marinette overthinking herself back into her nightmare. He leaned in and kissed her again before holding her tightly to him while he caressed her hair.

“Well, you can come with me and stand outside the bathroom while I shower. I'll be right there, and I'll stand outside the door and wait while you have your own turn. Trust me, nothing is going to happen to you!"

Adrien showered as fast as he could, not wanting Marinette to have time to work herself up again. Despite his being in the bathroom for less than ten minutes, she occasionally called out as if to reassure herself.

"Adrien, are you alright. Do you want me to come in? I promise I won't look!"

Tempting as that was, he did his best to persuade her to stay where she was by throwing out various reassurances such as,

"No, I’m fine.”, “Don’t worry, this particular cat loves water.”, “I'm almost done.”, and “I’m right here if you need me."

That last one, he realised, may have been a mistake since it sounded a bit too much like an invitation. It was hard for him to hear the distress in Marinette’s voice and do nothing when all he wanted was to take her into his arms and never let her go. He would give anything to see her recover. He wanted his confident, sassy Ladybug back.

Marinette sighed in relief as the bathroom door handle began to turn. She held her breath as she caught sight of her boyfriend with his freshly tussled wild blonde hair in his Gabriel branded pyjama shorts and short sleeved shirt. He stepped out and hugged her before slowly touching his lips to hers.

"See? I told you everything would be alright.”

Marinette's eyes trailed down to look at his pyjamas. They were an iridescent green with the familiar black ‘G’ superimposed over stylised black butterfly wings emblazoned upon the shirt pocket. She felt herself heating up all over. ' _Maybe I should have a COLD shower_.' She tried to hide her reaction.

"Wow! Adrien, are those silk pyjamas? They look really cute!"

She giggled at his reaction.

"Well, you know me Marinette, I've always...what?... _Cute_!?...Not funny!"

Standing outside the bathroom door as Marinette took her turn under the shower, Adrien pondered her future. Would she ever truly recover from her experience? Everything was so raw for her, like an open wound. He could apply the stitches, but her pain would still be there until she healed. If he could just get her over this hump and convince her that she was safely grounded in reality, he was sure that she would eventually be back to normal. He could hear the occasional high pitched sob and prayed that he wouldn't have to go in while Marinette was still under the shower. She was in such a vulnerable state that he was afraid of what might happen.

Mercifully he heard the flow of water cut off. Five minutes later the door handle turned and Marinette stepped out in her robe and into his arms. She looked coyly into his eyes and he couldn't help noticing that her beautiful bluebells were slightly bloodshot. He leaned down and softly kissed her as her arms went around his neck.

"Let's go to bed Buginette."

Leading Marinette by the hand, Adrien was first up the steps to her bed and, trying to lighten the mood, threw himself into the air and twisted to land on his back.

"And Cat Noir nails it with a clawsome barrel roll. Let’s see if you can do the same Lady...buuug." He ended almost with a sigh as his throat constricted and his eyes popped.

Marinette had paused at the foot of the bed to stare at him contemplatively with her lower lip caught in her teeth, a breathtaking image in itself, before dropping her robe to reveal, well...not very much. There was so little fabric and so much of Marinette!

She was wearing a sleeveless nighty in black lace that barely extended past her derrière, yet accentuated everything, and it had green paw prints around her hips! How coincidental was  _that_? Had she suspected that he was Cat Noir without even admitting it to herself? What had happened to his sweet, shy Marinette? How many ups and downs could he take in one day? He was accustomed to seeing Ladybug in a skintight suit that hid very little, but this was somehow different. Ladybug's suit didn't expose any skin for one thing, and he was used to it. Sweet Jesus! Marinette's legs were so  _long_! He had done swimsuit shoots with some extremely attractive women, but they had nothing on his girlfriend. In his expert opinion, she was perfectly proportioned... _everywhere_. If he didn't shut his mouth soon, something might fly in there and build a nest! He quietly exhaled.

“Marinette..."

“Yes Adrien?"

Was that a sultry look on her face? She definitely sounded sultry.

“...you’re... _stunning_! Where did you get that... _sleepwear_?"

Marinette blushed appropriately.

“I made it myself,...in case we ever, you know,...got...close."

“What about the paw prints, did you know about me? Or did you just have a thing for Cat Noir?

He felt as if he was babbling. He knew for sure that he was stalling.

“I just thought they would go well with the black lace, and I hoped that, one day, you'd like to, well,...hold me there."

That made them both blush.

“Tell me you don't wear it every night!"

Marinette's voice had definitely become more suggestive, with a husky edge. The implications set his heart to pounding so hard that he wondered if she could see his chest vibrating.

“It's my first time Adrien." She breathed. "But I could wear it every night...for you."

Adrien didn't know how much more innuendo he could  _take_.

Marinette kneeled on the foot of the bed, then leaned forward and slowly, languidly moved towards him on all fours, her eyes never leaving his. He couldn’t have looked away from those enormous bluebells if he had wanted to. If anything, she was more graceful and catlike than he was when transformed. He had always thought of similar scenes in movies as hackneyed clichés usually employed in low budget romcoms, but now he was experiencing first hand why they were so effective. It was unavoidably, powerfully erotic. When had Marinette gotten cleavage!? Since as long as he had known her he belatedly realised. How blind had he been? He tried not to stare, which was stupid because that was obviously what she wanted. It was amazing what popped into his head sometimes. He remembered the day that she had offered him her lucky charm when they were practising for the inter-schools gaming competition in her bedroom seemingly so long ago, before they were rudely interrupted by the Gamer. The love in Marinette’s smile as she offered him her charm had been so obvious, yet he had ignored it. He had been blind for a very long time, and  _so_  naive. Blinded by his obsession with Ladybug and his refusal to think about who could be hiding behind her mask. He was certainly seeing things clearly now!

Marinette brought her face down to Adrien's and briefly touched his lips with her own before sitting up on his hips with her legs tucked underneath her. She pulled the ribbons out of her pigtails and shook her hair free to send it cascading down over her shoulders. It was one of the most beautiful sights Adrien had ever seen. He had to remind himself to breathe as she began rhythmically tapping and stroking his chest with the tips of her oh-so-long fingers as if he was a piano. At the same time, she was managing to undo the buttons of his shirt as she hummed to herself. The words of an old song came to him,

“You are the words

I am the tune

....Play me.”

' _Wait_! _I'm supposed to be PROTECTING her_!'

How everything had changed. Maybe  _he_  was the one who needed saving! As he gazed up at Marinette, she seemed to be glowing. ' _Oh WOW_!'

Her beautiful bluebell eyes were wide and her mouth was open almost in a pout. He couldn't help feeling intimidated by the intensity of her focus on him.

He tried to deflect her again.

"Marinette, what if your parents decide to check on you? I don't want to get onto your dad's bad side!"

“They won't, and besides, they can't see much from my hatch, and my dad doesn't have a bad side."

For some reason, that failed to give him much confidence.

“Didn’t you say I could just sit with you?”

“Well, I was desperate and I didn’t want Mom and Dad to say ‘ _No_ ’!”

“What about Tikki and Plagg?"

“They're downstairs. I told Plagg he could have as much cheese as he wants if he stays away from you."

He hadn’t even noticed! Marinette had an answer for everything!

“Marinette, please, I wasn't expecting this. I didn't bring any, you know...."

“It's alright..." She lied, ..."I'm on the pill."

Just  _saying_  that in Adrien's presence excited her.

“Marinette, we've only had  _one_  date!"

Marinette tilted her head a little to her left, still not shifting her eyes from his. They seemed to be bigger than ever.

"Adrien, don't you  _want_  me? I love you more than anything in the world. If I had to give up my Miraculous to be with you, I'd do it yesterday. If you were suddenly made poor and ugly, you would  _still_  be the most beautiful person in my life. You're my first true love, and I want you to be my last. I want to spend my life with you, and that was almost taken away today. I need to replace that experience with something better...if you'll have me."

"Marinette, what do you mean, if I'll  _have_  you? You've got to be  _kidding_! Do you know how far above me you are? If I married you, I'd be marrying  _up_! Remember the way you treated Cat Noir as Ladybug? Where did all that confidence go?"

"Adrien, without the suit I'm just ordinary, plain Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Marinette, you aren’t plain, you’re beautiful, and there isn't anything ordinary about you,...and you  _are_  Ladybug, in or out of the suit. I see her in every move you make. Can you imagine anyone else with your Miraculous,  _Chloé_  for instance? You're what makes Ladybug special. If you don't believe  _me_ , believe Tikki. She thinks that you may be the best Ladybug ever, and she should know. So don't go saying 'if you'll  _have_  me'. I’ve wanted you from the day that I first met you. I count myself the luckiest man to have ever  _lived_  to be the object of your affection, but it’s still my duty to put you first, no matter how much I want you. Are you really so sure that you want to do this?”

“Yes Adrien, my beautiful caring Kitty, I really  _do_! I don’t just  _want_  you, I  _need_  you. I’m not interested in  _fucking_  you! I want to consummate my  _love_  for you. What could be so wrong with that?”

Adrien was both shocked and aroused at the same time. He had never heard Marinette use language like that before. He suspected that it was her way of telling him that they weren’t children anymore and she wanted a mature relationship. It was hard to believe that she had ever had any trouble talking to him. When was that?...Oh yeah, this morning! ‘ _God I love this woman_!’

He conceded softly,

“Nothing My Lady,...nothing at all.”

Without warning Marinette raised her nightie over her head with both hands, revealing even more perfection. Adrien was suddenly unable to think quite so clearly anymore, let alone come up with anything intelligent to say, finding it even harder to breathe as the love of his life removed the interfering blanket and slowly, gently,...almost shyly removed his shorts. They continued to look into each other’s eyes for a long and brilliant moment before Marinette began to move. To Adrien, there was something angelic and glorious about the beautiful woman who was slowly lowering herself onto him. He was further entranced when she let out a faint gasp and her eyes widened further before she gave him a little smile. Not once had her eyes left his. He felt as if she was looking into his soul, and in that moment he knew at an instinctive level that, without the shadow of a doubt, everything Tikki had said about the depth of Marinette’s feelings for him was true, as if he hadn’t had enough proof already! He didn’t think that he deserved it, but she really  _did_  love him as much as he loved her, and that meant that she loved him unconditionally. He marvelled at the change that had come over her since her shower. She had taken the initiative so  _easily_.

He remembered how Ladybug had tried to let Cat Noir down as kindly as she could after they had defeated Glaciator and he had expressed his love for her as Cat Noir. She had said that she didn’t want to play around with his feelings because it would be like lying to him. She had said that there was a boy. He felt like the dumbest man alive;  _he_  was the boy! He had disregarded so many clues when Ladybug had interacted with both of his identities. Not only had he missed Marinette’s signals, he had ignored so many from the superhero herself. It occurred to him that Cat Noir had never really had a chance,...until today. He reached out to her with both hands almost without conscious volition, but hesitated because he was still reluctant to do anything without His Lady’s permission. After a brief pause he let his hands fall to his sides.

Even as she was in the throws of the most intimate moment of her life so far, Marinette was reflecting upon just how many major firsts it was possible for her to have in one day. From a date with the love of her life, who loved her in return, to finding out that he was her super-heroic partner, to dying and then being brought back to have the opportunity to express her passion for him, and  _she_  had initiated  _all_  of it! Well, everything except the date with Adrien, but she had intended to do something about that as _well_! She knew that Adrien’s reluctance stemmed from his strong belief that she needed his protection, and giving in to his own desires would be selfish. It was yet more evidence of just how right her original assessment of his character had been. She wondered how many young men would have had his capacity to overcome their raging hormones enough to stop and think about anything beyond getting into her pants. Twenty four hours earlier she would have curled up into a foetal position and pulled the blanket over her head at the thought of what she was doing now. Was it any wonder that she had been convinced that she was in one of her fantasies? She wanted to make Adrien feel properly loved and hoped that what she offered would help make up for the loneliness of his life after his mother had disappeared. She wondered if she would have been so well adjusted if she had experienced anything even remotely like that. ‘ _God I love this man_!’ And with that thought she stopped overthinking and started doing. She smiled in response to Adrien reaching for her with both hands before hesitating and dropping his hands to his sides as if he was reluctant to do anything without her permission. It was so  _cute_! She was reading him like an open book.

Adrien’s eyes went wide as Marinette smiled and took his hands in her own.

“Don’t be afraid of me my beautiful Kitty, I’m never going to reject you again. Not _ever_!”

She briefly squeezed before she turned his palms toward her and slowly raised his hands to hold them against herself in a position that was usually reserved for her bra. She wanted him to know that she would never hide anything from him and he could be as free with her as she wanted to be with him. A small moan escaped her as she began to move on him and he responded with more confidence. He caressed her for a few moments more before tracing a line with his nails down the middle of her chest and on over the gentle curve of her belly, excited beyond measure by the reflexive tightening of the muscles underneath. Marinette leaned down to rake her fingers through his hair and kissed him with an almost violent passion, almost but not quite biting his lips. Every nerve in her body seemed to be hyper-sensitised and every touch from her boyfriend sent waves of pleasure rippling through her. Their lips separated and they gazed lovingly into each other as they moved. Marinette continued to softly kiss Adrien multiple times on the lips, neck and ears as his arms went around her back and trailed down to her hips, sending more shivers down her spine. She squeaked and then giggled as Adrien rolled her over and looked adoringly into her eyes as he ran his own fingers through her hair.

"My God Marinette, you're just so,...so  _beautiful_ ,...and your skin is so incredibly  _smooth_. You really are my miraculous girl."

Marinette smiled and kissed him again.

"And you're my frisky Kitty."

He couldn't remember why he had resisted her for so long.

* * *

Ladybug gazed up at the night sky, marvelling at its unnatural clarity considering the usual Paris light pollution. The happy couple had spent a pleasant evening at a local café before transforming so that they could climb to the highest platform on the Eiffel Tower and be alone. It had been their regular meeting place prior to going on patrol before they became a couple, but now it meant so much more.

“You were a bit slow today My Lady. As akumas go, the Gardener was pretty easy, but he nearly staked you. I have to say that I’ve never liked the idea of a Miraculous scarecrow. Are you sure that you aren’t coming down with some kind of bug?”

He heard a sudden sharp intake of breath to his left and wondered what he could possibly have said to upset his girlfriend. The pun wasn’t  _that_  bad. His consternation grew as the expression on her face darkened.

“I was only kidding!...You aren’t  _sick_  are you?”

He felt an awful premonition.

“ _Please_  tell me you aren’t sick!?”

Coincidentally, Marinette had been wondering all night how to approach the conversation that she had been putting off for a week and was now virtually unavoidable.

“Cat...do you...do you remember what I said on our first night together?”

“I’ll never forget that evening for a bunch of reasons My Ladybug, but you said a lot of things.”

“I said I was on the pill.”

“ _Uh_?!”

Cat Noir had always been quick on the uptake with His Lady. He was already starting to feel as if the evening was becoming a bit surreal and his life was about to change forever. He could feel his excitement building as he realised where the conversation might be going. He concentrated on projecting an outwardly calm facade to his partner as she continued,

“You know how very much I hate liars? Well...”

Her voice became much smaller and went up at least another octave.

“...I really, really  _hate_  myself right now!”

“Ladybug...Marinette...what are you trying to say?”

He knew very  _well_  what she was trying to say.

“I...I...Adrien,...I’ve been really tired lately, a-and I had a test. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry but,...” 

To Adrien’s dawning horror, the most important person in his life looked as if she was about to dissolve into tears.

“...I  _lied_! I wasn’t on the pill! My t-test was p-p-p...positive. I-I...I think I...I think I might be, I mean I don’t  _think_ , I  _know_ ,...’cause I had a second test,...I’m...I’m  _pregnant_!...” She continued in a rush, “...I’m so, so  _sorrryyy_!  _Please_  forgive me!? I never wanted to trap you, honestly I didn’t! I’ll understand if you want to leave me, but I  _can’t_  get rid of it, I just can’t! It came from an act of love for each other and I couldn’t  _live_  with myself if I did that,...even if I have to raise it on my own.”

Adrien was horrified even further when Ladybug put her face in her hands and began whimpering, aghast at the sudden turn the evening had taken. He couldn’t let this go on! He tightened his left arm around her and softly, lovingly ran the claws of his right hand up the side of her face and through her hair.

He gently removed her hands before cupping her face with his own and turned her to look at him.

“My Lady...do you  _really_  have such a low opinion of me?”

That shocked her.

“Huh?!”

He spoke softly at first, with an intensity that held her, his voice gradually increasing in volume.

“I said that I love you and I will never stop. I said that you're the only one for me. I said that we have our whole lives ahead of us...to live  _together_. Those weren’t empty words Marinette. There isn’t anything in this universe that could compel me to want to leave you! I knew what I was saying and I knew what I was doing that first night together. I didn’t believe you when you said you were on the pill, so I’m just as responsible as you, and I feel the  _same_  as you. I could never ask you to get rid of a child that we conceived out of our love for each other, and I can honestly say that it never would have occurred to me; I  _want_  this child.  _Trap_  me!?  _Seriously_? Who would have guessed that my Ladybug, the most beautiful, capable,  _stubborn_ woman on the planet, could be so old fashioned! Stop overthinking everything and  _trust_  me! Being the father of your child will be a privilege Marinette. I...I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Ladybug was staring wide eyed at Cat Noir with her mouth open in a giant ‘Oh!’ ‘ _How could I have ever rejected this wonderful man so many times for so long_? _How could I have ever doubted him_?’ With an effort she tried to pull herself together and get some of her usual self-confidence back. Her emotional rollercoaster had moved on from the depths of despair to elation in seconds. She looked at her partner impishly.

“Was that a proposal Kitty?”

“Well, it isn’t how I had imagined it but, yes,...I suppose it was.”

Ladybug continued to stare at Cat Noir as her eyes went even rounder. She was simply stunned by his response and was almost overcome by her emotions, unable to express just how much she loved him but wanting so very much to do so. She was shedding different tears now. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him repeatedly.

“I love you so,  _so_  much Adrien, my beautiful, beautiful, wonderful Kitty.”

Cat Noir smiled down at her.

“Was that a ‘yes’ My Lady? Or would you like some more time to think about it?”

“Silly Kitty! I’ve been thinking about it for almost three years from the day after we first met and you never noticed...Yes-yes-yes! Oh, and if  _that_  wasn’t clear enough for you **;** _yes_ Adrien, I want to _marry_ you and spend the rest of my life with you!

“I’ll never leave you Marinette.”

Ladybug didn’t think that the evening could get any better. This was the happiest moment of her life. Resting her head contentedly on Cat Noir's left shoulder with his arm around her as they sat dangling their feet into space, she hummed to herself as she stared blissfully into the sky and idly began to count the stars. Everything felt so romantic yet, as she did so, for some unaccountable reason she began to experience a growing sense of unease. Something wasn’t quite right. Her stomach began to turn over and her breathing was becoming increasingly ragged. What could  _possibly_  be setting her off  _now_? Could it be her pregnancy? Why would she be having trouble breathing? It couldn’t be food poisoning. She had shared with Adrien and he was fine! Her uneasy feeling was turning into a full blown panic for no apparent reason...and then, unbelievably, she saw it. One by one,...without any fuss,...the stars were going out. ‘ _But_... _t_ _hat’simpossible_!!’ She slowly looked down with a sense of dread to find a poison barb protruding from the right side of her chest.

“No!  _Oh p_ _lease_ ,... _NO_!”

She blinked and turned in horror to Cat Noir for support. For some reason he wasn't sitting next to her anymore; instead, he was holding her and ripping the barb out of her chest. She blinked again; she was on her back, cradled in his arms as he stared into her eyes, looking as if he was already suffering a terrible loss, his face working to maintain some kind of control,...and he was crying.

"Marinette..please,  _no_...you can't...you can't...I can't...not without you; you can't go, you're  _everything_... _Please_!...Please...stay with me?...I  _can't_  lose you!...I  _love_  you Marinette."

She squeezed her eyes shut again, and when she opened them she was on the rooftop where she had fought the Hornet and lost. Her worst fears were being realised. Everything had been a dream after all and she was right all along to be afraid. She felt no satisfaction at being proved correct in the worst possible way. Her beautiful fantasy had come to an end and all that was left was the brutal reality of her final moments. She was vaguely conscious of the thwacking sound of a news helicopter. The whole world was witnessing her failure.

In a moment of hyper clarity she saw Adrien’s face behind his mask. She tried to express her feelings for him, but was cut off as her lungs finally gave out. She began to lose her peripheral vision, and her oxygen starved brain created the illusion that Cat’s image was withdrawing from her down a tunnel and beginning to fade into the distance, even though she knew that he must still be there, cradling her in his arms. She wondered if it had been like this for him when he had put himself between her and Timebreaker, taking the touch that made him fade away. She managed to bring him back into focus, putting all of her considerable will into concentrating on his image, but she knew that it was futile.

It occurred to her that Adrien might one day be tempted to combine his Miraculous with hers to change reality and restore her to life. But surely if he was in favour of such drastic action he would already have asked the Great Guardian for permission to bring his mother back. There must be terrible consequences attached to such an action or there would already have been a history of previous Ladybugs killed in action being resurrected and Master Fu would not be so opposed to it. No, sadly her fate was sealed.

The last thing that she thought she saw was the Hornet looming up behind Cat, who seemed to be completely. unaware of the danger he was in. She wanted to scream a warning and, tragically, her final agonised thought was that she had probably gotten her partner killed as well as herself.

Something passed over her face, and she realised that it must be Cat Noir's hand as everything went dark. She thought that she heard him sob as her consciousness drifted away.

* * *

For some reason the flame that was Ladybug’s mind continued to burn as she descended into death. For an immeasurable period there was nonexistence. Without any understanding of when the change occurred, she began to regain a sense of self but little more, which was confusing because she was sure that her life was meant to be over. She felt like a disembodied soul, without sensory input or stimulation of any kind, existing in a different kind of space without physical form, sight, sound, or even the passing of time. There was no light, no dark, no pain, just...nothing. If asked, Marinette would have been unable to describe the experience. It would be like trying to describe colour to someone who had been blind from birth. So  _this_  was what came after death, a kind of limbo. After the initial novelty wore off, the boredom began to set in. Spending the rest of eternity like this would be slow torture. Could this be Hell? She would have preferred oblivion. She found herself wondering again how Adrien would move on. Would he still hold onto her memory? Would a new girlfriend even allow him to keep a photograph of her? With that she segued into snippets of one of her favourite Ed Sheeran songs...‘ _We keep this love in a photograph...our hearts are never broken, and time’s forever frozen still...and it’s the only thing we take with us when we die_...’ If she hadn’t been robbed of the ability to cry, she would be sobbing uncontrollably. Her perfect life with the only man she had ever truly loved had been within her grasp, only to be comprehensively snatched away.

Desperate to preserve her sanity, Marinette’s mind eventually retreated into a continuous loop of happy thoughts about Adrien and what she had always hoped would be their future life together. Her dream continued past her confession to him that she was pregnant to include their wedding, the purchase of a house and the preparation of a nursery, with pink everywhere. She was in the delivery room, about to give birth to baby Emma with her husband urging her on when, cruelly and without warning, it was all gone as if a switch had been thrown. How could all this be possible if she had just experienced brain death? Her senses returned as her dream and memories of the nothingness faded away as if they had never been, buried somewhere deep within her subconscious. All that was left was a vague feeling that she had lost something precious. She couldn’t even recall opening her eyes. She felt enormous relief that her transformation had held up and she was still Ladybug. Her relief was tempered by the realisation that she was lying on her back, paralysed and with her eyes fixed, unable to look away from a sky so blue that it seemed almost to be artificial. There was no sound other than her own ragged breathing. Cat Noir was nowhere to be seen and she found  _that_   ****to be the most distressing thing of all.

Everything began to shake violently, causing Ladybug's disorientation to increase and her newly returned vision to become blurred. She felt a falling sensation, but she wasn't moving. The rules of logic no longer seemed to apply to the world, or whatever it was, around her. The shaking intensified, as if the universe was coming apart at the seams, yet  _still_  there was no sound. A blinding glow began to spread across the sky and expand towards her, or was she moving towards  _it_? Either way, the effect was the same to her fixed perception. Was this a part of dying? Was she transitioning to some kind of afterlife? Or was she experiencing the last random firings of her optic nerves as she faded into death on that awful rooftop while the Hornet gloated over his victory? She was increasingly afraid, despite there being no pain, and seemed to be unable to do anything to improve her situation. Her breathing had become very rapid. She had thought that death would be peaceful, but it appeared that some greater power wanted her to suffer. On the upside, she could feel the paralysis leaving her. Through an incredible act of will born out of a primal instinct for self-preservation, she was able to slow her movement towards the light until she was holding her own. It seemed that her thoughts could be translated into a limited form of action in this particular reality. Ladybug would take what she could get. She knew that she was only delaying the inevitable and, despite her numbing fear, the intellectual part of her mind was curious to know if everything would end when she entered that phenomenal glare. Maybe she would be reborn. For a timeless moment she hesitated as she tried to think of her options before her natural curiosity won out. Ladybug made a decision and screamed in defiance as she let go and surrendered herself to the light. Her retinas should long ago have burnt out, but she could still see clearly without any pain as the glare increased beyond anything that she thought could possibly be created by her own sun. Maybe it was going nova! She felt as if she was losing consciousness again and fought against it as a sound like the deep monotone of an organ vibrated through her head. As she entered the light, the organ faded and, as it did so, she heard a faint voice calling to her as if from a great distance, repeating her name over and over. Instinctively, she knew that she loved that voice and would do anything to be with the person from whom it came. She willed it to come closer and, miraculously, was rewarded as she began to make out some words.

"Marinette! Marinette!...Marinette wake up!...Marinette, please. It's alright, I'm here, you're safe! You’re  _alive_  Marinette! I love you so much!  _Please **...**_ come back to me. It’s only a dream Marinette!"

The blinding light slowly dulled and morphed into Adrien's face, lit by the lamp in the alcove behind her bedhead. He was gently shaking her and she could see tears in his eyes. Her eyes widened with the realisation that they were both naked. At least  _that_  part of the evening had been real. Marinette surged upward and threw her arms around Adrien’s neck, sobbing violently and clinging to him in relief as if he was her only lifeline, and her only connection to reality.

“Oh Adrien-Adrien-Adrien-Adrien-Adrien!...I th..th...thought I-I wuh...would ne...never s-see you again!”

Adrien could feel her shivering as he tenderly rubbed her back with one hand while stroking her hair with the other, making soft cooing noises, patiently waiting for her sobbing to run down. Seeing his girlfriend like this was breaking his heart. She was shedding so many tears that he wondered if it was possible for her to become dehydrated. It was over twenty minutes before Marinette's shaking began to subside. She was still sniffling when she looked into his eyes and gave him a crooked smile, her eyes hollow as if she didn't quite believe that he was real, or even what she was about to say.

"I...I'm suh...sorry A-Adrien. I had the most a-awful nightmare. I know it was o-only a dream, but I...I had a poison barb in my chest and I was dying, and then I died and I thought that I had lost you and the universe was coming to an end and I went into the light a-a-and it was the end of everything and then I heard,... _you_." She finished softly.

She paused to catch her breath and lowered her head to Adrien's chest, soothed by his warmth and the rhythmic beating of his heart. Mixed with his own relief, Adrien felt humbled and so grateful to Marinette's parents for trusting him enough to stay away. They must surely have heard their daughter's screams. He hadn’t noticed Plagg and Tikki briefly poke their heads through the floor before reporting back to Tom and Sabine that their daughter was going to be alright. Despite the kwamis’ advice, knowing the reason for Marinette’s distress meant that ignoring their natural instincts to rush upstairs and comfort their daughter felt like one of the hardest things they had ever done. Adrien gently combed her hair with his fingers.

"Marinette, you truly have nothing to be sorry about. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Just try to slow your breathing and let yourself go. Trust me on this; my cure worked and we can overcome anything together. It’s no surprise to me that you had a nightmare, but that’s all it was. You’re safe with me."

He kissed the top of her head. 

"But Adrien, she mumbled into his chest, it seemed so  _real_. I know it was just a nightmare, but there was a blinding light and I went  _into_  it! I was so sure that I was dying. What if I’m still dreaming? I feel so bad for putting you through all this."

"You haven’t put me through anything Marinette, and if being with you is a dream, then I don’t ever want to wake up! It  _was_ only a nightmare, but I think that it was part of your healing process. Maybe going into the light meant something. Maybe it meant that you were facing your fears and putting them behind you. You're not dreaming anymore and I’ll always be here for you. I love you so much, and I'll never stop. Believe me when I say that I won’t ever let you down. Everything is just too fresh, but we'll get through it together. You just need some time, and I don't care how long it takes. Please... _please_  have faith in me? Can you believe me Bugaboo?...”

There was a time when Marinette had been intensely irritated by that pet name, but now she treasured it as one of the special symbols of Adrien’s love for her. As intended, it had an instantly soothing effect.

“...I’m so grateful to your parents for allowing me to be here for you, to give me the chance to show you how much I love you.”

He kissed the top of her head again.

”Maybe going into the light meant something more. Maybe it was symbolic for your mind finally accepting my cure by leaving the darkness and choosing life."

Marinette turned her head and looked wondrously up at her boyfriend’s face. What did he see in her that provoked so much passion in those striking green eyes? Despite everything he had said, it was still an amazing mystery to her. She took a long, shuddery breath and huffed. She was going to beat this thing, for Adrien if for no other reason.

"Does my beautiful Kitty...feel like showing me again,...how much he loves me?"

She pulled him down onto her and kissed him passionately as her long legs entwined themselves around him.

“Adrien?”

“Yes, my darling Bugaboo?”

“I’m not on the pill.”

“I know.”


End file.
